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A saliva sample from a newborn can be used to quickly and effectively detect cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection, a major cause of hearing loss in children.
CMV is the most common infection passed from a mother to her unborn child. Between 20,000 and 30,000 infants are infected with the virus upon birth, and 10% to 15% of them are at risk for developing hearing loss. Monitoring infected children for signs of hearing loss as they grow is the best way to ensure they get early treatment. But infected babies often show no symptoms, so screening for CMV at birth is critical.
CMV infection is currently detected using the “rapid culture” test. However, this method isn’t easily automated to allow for widespread screening.
A team at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, led by Dr. Suresh Boppana and Dr. Karen Fowler, set out to develop a fast, accurate test to identify CMV-infected newborns. They used a technique called polymerase chain reaction (PCR), which amplifies virus DNA and could be used to screen large numbers of infants for CMV. The study was funded by NIH’s National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD).
Source
National Institutes of Health (NIH)
(MDN)
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