Acquisition of cytomegaloviral infections in families with young children: a serological study.

Acquisition of cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection in families with young children was investigated with serial serological tests for antibody to CMV by using ELISA and anti-complement immunoflourescence. Members of 68 Houston families were studied for a mean of 3.5 years. Seroconversion occurred in one or more members of 37 (53%) of 68 families studied. The mean annual seroconversion rate was 10% for fathers, 10.6% for mothers, and 10.3% for children. The attack rate for susceptible family members (including the index case) was 54%. The index case was the child in 10 instances, the father in 2, and the mother in 2. The index case could not be identified in 23 families. This Houston study indicates that the family with young children is a high-risk setting for CMV infection. This is an important concern regarding risks for mothers in their childbearing and child-rearing years.