Prevalence of congenital cytomegalovirus infection in Nigeria: a pilot study.

Dried saliva specimens from 263 neonates in Lagos, Nigeria, were tested for cytomegalovirus (CMV) using real-time polymerase chain reaction. The results for 10 infants (3.8%, 95% confidence interval, 2.1-6.8) were found to be positive. Congenital CMV infection was not associated with any of the demographic or maternal factors including HIV. These data demonstrate the high prevalence of congenital CMV infection and the feasibility of CMV screening by real-time polymerase chain reaction testing.