Background: Cytomegalovirus (CMV) is the most frequent known cause of congenital viral infections in humans. Cytomegalovirus is endemic throughout the world, affecting most of the population where the seroprevalence of CMV IgG is known to vary among countries.
Methods: The present study was designed to show the prevalence of CMV antibodies among children aged 1 day to 15 years and women of child-bearing age in Ankara, Turkey. Antibodies to CMV were analyzed in serum samples of 318 children and 745 women using a passive particle-agglutination test.
Results: The overall prevalence of CMV antibodies was 90.6% among children and 99% among women aged 15-49 years. The difference between stratified age groups was not statistically significant (chi 2 = 4.92, P = 0.177) in either children or females.
Conclusions: Our findings confirm that CMV is very prevalent in Turkey and is at the higher end of worldwide ranges. Using the results of the present study, the transmission mode of CMV infection and the risk for congenital CMV infection are discussed. We have come to the conclusion that the risk of fetal infection in Turkey cannot be predicted; however, most CMV infections in the first year of life are transmitted from mother to infant and this is the main source of infection in Turkey.