Prevalence of infection with cytomegalovirus before birth is higher in children with ASD

Prenatal cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection may play a role in a surprising number of cases of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), a new study from Italy suggests. 

CMV is a common virus, with more than half of adults over the age of 40 and more than a third of children over the age of five having been infected at some point. The virus causes few or no symptoms in most people, but prenatal infection leads to illness or long-term problems in about one of five exposed children. Consequences can include premature birth, seizures, hearing loss, vision loss, and intellectual disability. 

Because several case studies have reported an association between CMV infection and the onset of ASD, Ivan Gentile and colleagues decided to evaluate the prevalence of congenital CMV infection in children with ASD as compared to neurotypical controls. Using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests on dried blood spots collected at birth from 38 children with ASD and 44 controls, they found that “the prevalence of congenital CMV infection was 5.3% in [ASD] cases and 0% in controls.” In addition, they note, “The infection rate was about 10-fold higher in patients with ASD than in the general Italian population at birth.” 

Based on their findings, Gentile and colleagues suggest that doctors consider including screening for CMV in workups for children with autism. They also say their finding is important “given the potential prevention and treatment of CMV infection.”

Citations

“Prevalence of congenital cytomegalovirus infection assessed through viral genome detection in dried blood spots in children with autism spectrum disorders,” I. Gentile, E. Zappulo, M. P. Riccio, S. Binda, L. Bubba, L. Pellegrinelli, D. Scognamiglio, F. Operto, L. Margari, G. Borgia, and C. Bravaccio, In Vivo, Vol. 31, No. 3, May-June 2017, 467-473. Address: Ivan Gentile, Department of Clinical Medicine and Surgery, Section of Infectious Diseases, University of Naples “Federico II,” Naples, Italy, ivan.gentile@un ina.it.