Research Article

The importance of prenatal diagnosis of congenital CMV infections and its relationship with prenatal clinical findings through molecular detection of CMV DNA in amniotic fluid samples

Volume: 8 Number: 2 March 10, 2026

The importance of prenatal diagnosis of congenital CMV infections and its relationship with prenatal clinical findings through molecular detection of CMV DNA in amniotic fluid samples

Abstract

Aims: Congenital cytomegalovirus (cCMV) infection is a major cause of prenatal morbidity, frequently associated with central nervous system (CNS) involvement. This study aimed to determine the frequency of CMV DNA in amniotic fluid (AF) samples obtained from pregnancies with high-risk ultrasound findings suggestive of prenatal CMV infection during the second trimester and to evaluate the associated prenatal findings. Methods: This retrospective study included 238 pregnant women who underwent amniocentesis between January 2023 and November 2025 due to high-risk ultrasound findings identified by experienced perinatologists. CMV DNA in AF samples was detected using Real-Time PCR (RT-PCR). Maternal CMV IgG and IgM serological results were obtained from patient records. Prenatal ultrasound findings, serological data, and molecular test results were analyzed statistically. Results: CMV DNA was detected in 10 of 238 AF samples (4.20%; 95% confidence interval: 1.7-6.8%). In cases with CMV DNA positivity, prenatal ultrasound findings predominantly involved CNS anomalies (80%). CMV IgG positivity was observed in all CMV DNA-positive cases, while CMV IgM positivity was not detected in any patient. Conclusion: The strong association between CNS-predominant ultrasound anomalies and CMV DNA positivity underscores the diagnostic value of CMV DNA PCR testing in AF samples for prenatal CMV infection. These findings support the use of molecular diagnostic methods alongside ultrasonographic evaluation, as maternal serological screening alone may be insufficient for accurate prenatal CMV diagnosis.

Keywords

References

  1. Liberati C, Sturniolo G, Brigadoi G, et al. Burden of congenital cmv infection: a narrative review and implications for public health interventions. Viruses. 2024;16(8):1311. doi:10.3390/v16081311
  2. Davis NL, King CC, Kourtis AP. Cytomegalovirus infection in pregnancy. Birth Defects Res. 2017;109(5):336-346. doi:10.1002/bdra.23601
  3. Schleiss MR, Panther L, Basnet S, Workneh M, Diaz-Decaro J. Comparison of overall sensitivity and specificity across different newborn screening algorithms for congenital cytomegalovirus. Int J Neonatal Screen. 2023;9(2):33. doi:10.3390/ijns9020033
  4. Prosser JD, Holmes TW, Seyyedi M, Choo DI. Congenital cytomegalovirus (CMV) for the pediatric otolaryngologist. Int J Pediatr Otorhinolaryngol. 2021;148:110809. doi:10.1016/j.ijporl.2021.110809
  5. Leber AL. Maternal and congenital human cytomegalovirus infection: laboratory testing for detection and diagnosis. J Clin Microbiol. 2024; 62(4):e0031323. doi:10.1128/jcm.00313-23
  6. Chiereghin A, Pavia C, Turello G, et al. Universal newborn screening for congenital cytomegalovirus infection - from infant to maternal infection: a prospective multicenter study. Front Pediatr. 2022;10:909646. doi:10.3389/fped.2022.909646
  7. Fowler KB, Boppana SB. Congenital cytomegalovirus infection. Semin Perinatol. 2018;42(3):149-154. doi:10.1053/j.semperi.2018.02.002
  8. Krstanović F, Britt WJ, Jonjić S, Brizić I. Cytomegalovirus Infection and inflammation in developing brain. Viruses. 2021;13(6):1078. doi:10. 3390/v13061078

Details

Primary Language

English

Subjects

Clinical Microbiology, Medical Virology

Journal Section

Research Article

Publication Date

March 10, 2026

Submission Date

January 8, 2026

Acceptance Date

February 18, 2026

Published in Issue

Year 2026 Volume: 8 Number: 2

APA
Önel, M., Kırkoyun Uysal, H., Hulikyan, A., Sevimli, D., Saraç Sivrikoz, T., Has, R., Demirci, M., Yurtseven, E., & Ağaçfidan, A. (2026). The importance of prenatal diagnosis of congenital CMV infections and its relationship with prenatal clinical findings through molecular detection of CMV DNA in amniotic fluid samples. Anatolian Current Medical Journal, 8(2), 305-310. https://doi.org/10.38053/acmj.1858404
AMA
1.Önel M, Kırkoyun Uysal H, Hulikyan A, et al. The importance of prenatal diagnosis of congenital CMV infections and its relationship with prenatal clinical findings through molecular detection of CMV DNA in amniotic fluid samples. Anatolian Curr Med J / ACMJ / acmj. 2026;8(2):305-310. doi:10.38053/acmj.1858404
Chicago
Önel, Mustafa, Hayriye Kırkoyun Uysal, Arat Hulikyan, et al. 2026. “The Importance of Prenatal Diagnosis of Congenital CMV Infections and Its Relationship With Prenatal Clinical Findings through Molecular Detection of CMV DNA in Amniotic Fluid Samples”. Anatolian Current Medical Journal 8 (2): 305-10. https://doi.org/10.38053/acmj.1858404.
EndNote
Önel M, Kırkoyun Uysal H, Hulikyan A, Sevimli D, Saraç Sivrikoz T, Has R, Demirci M, Yurtseven E, Ağaçfidan A (March 1, 2026) The importance of prenatal diagnosis of congenital CMV infections and its relationship with prenatal clinical findings through molecular detection of CMV DNA in amniotic fluid samples. Anatolian Current Medical Journal 8 2 305–310.
IEEE
[1]M. Önel et al., “The importance of prenatal diagnosis of congenital CMV infections and its relationship with prenatal clinical findings through molecular detection of CMV DNA in amniotic fluid samples”, Anatolian Curr Med J / ACMJ / acmj, vol. 8, no. 2, pp. 305–310, Mar. 2026, doi: 10.38053/acmj.1858404.
ISNAD
Önel, Mustafa - Kırkoyun Uysal, Hayriye - Hulikyan, Arat - Sevimli, Derya - Saraç Sivrikoz, Tuğba - Has, Recep - Demirci, Mehmet - Yurtseven, Eray - Ağaçfidan, Ali. “The Importance of Prenatal Diagnosis of Congenital CMV Infections and Its Relationship With Prenatal Clinical Findings through Molecular Detection of CMV DNA in Amniotic Fluid Samples”. Anatolian Current Medical Journal 8/2 (March 1, 2026): 305-310. https://doi.org/10.38053/acmj.1858404.
JAMA
1.Önel M, Kırkoyun Uysal H, Hulikyan A, Sevimli D, Saraç Sivrikoz T, Has R, Demirci M, Yurtseven E, Ağaçfidan A. The importance of prenatal diagnosis of congenital CMV infections and its relationship with prenatal clinical findings through molecular detection of CMV DNA in amniotic fluid samples. Anatolian Curr Med J / ACMJ / acmj. 2026;8:305–310.
MLA
Önel, Mustafa, et al. “The Importance of Prenatal Diagnosis of Congenital CMV Infections and Its Relationship With Prenatal Clinical Findings through Molecular Detection of CMV DNA in Amniotic Fluid Samples”. Anatolian Current Medical Journal, vol. 8, no. 2, Mar. 2026, pp. 305-10, doi:10.38053/acmj.1858404.
Vancouver
1.Mustafa Önel, Hayriye Kırkoyun Uysal, Arat Hulikyan, Derya Sevimli, Tuğba Saraç Sivrikoz, Recep Has, Mehmet Demirci, Eray Yurtseven, Ali Ağaçfidan. The importance of prenatal diagnosis of congenital CMV infections and its relationship with prenatal clinical findings through molecular detection of CMV DNA in amniotic fluid samples. Anatolian Curr Med J / ACMJ / acmj. 2026 Mar. 1;8(2):305-10. doi:10.38053/acmj.1858404

 

TR DİZİN ULAKBİM and International Indexes (1b)
 

Interuniversity Board (UAK) Equivalency:  Article published in Ulakbim TR Index journal [10 POINTS], and Article published in other (excuding 1a, b, c) international indexed journal (1d) [5 POINTS]

Note: Our journal is not WOS indexed and therefore is not classified as Q.

You can download Council of Higher Education (CoHG) [Yüksek Öğretim Kurumu (YÖK)] Criteria) decisions about predatory/questionable journals and the author's clarification text and journal charge policy from your browser. https://dergipark.org.tr/tr/journal/3449/file/4924/show

 

Journal Indexes and Platforms: 

TR Dizin ULAKBİM, Google Scholar, Crossref, Worldcat (OCLC), DRJI, EuroPub, OpenAIRE, Turkiye Citation Index, Turk Medline, ROAD, ICI World of Journal's, Index Copernicus, ASOS Index, General Impact Factor, Scilit.


 

The indexes of the journal's are;


 

download?token=eyJhdXRoX3JvbGVzIjpbXSwiZW5kcG9pbnQiOiJqb3VybmFsIiwib3JpZ2luYWxuYW1lIjoiVHJfSW5kZXhfbG9nby5wbmciLCJwYXRoIjoiMDFiOS82MmZhLzA3MzMvNjlkZjNlNTdhMmI4ZjkuODYxMzMxMjQucG5nIiwiZXhwIjoxNzc2MjQxNzY3LCJub25jZSI6ImQyMTQ4MjdiNTg1ZjVmMGQwYzAzZTMxNzMwM2QwMThmIn0.RmnGvwR536HdIoKpGO-ApytZ5aRPRT_BFXE2EpGSIqc

asos-index.png
 
f9ab67f.png
 
WorldCat_Logo_H_Color.png
 

 

18596download?token=eyJhdXRoX3JvbGVzIjpbXSwiZW5kcG9pbnQiOiJqb3VybmFsIiwib3JpZ2luYWxuYW1lIjoiT3BlbkFpcmUuanBnIiwicGF0aCI6IjUyMWYvZjljYy8wMDk3LzY5ZGYzZDNiYmVkZGU0LjQzNDM2OTU3LmpwZyIsImV4cCI6MTc3NjI0MTQ4NCwibm9uY2UiOiIwYjgxZDE2NzRiNzhjMWQyOGVmMDM1OTA1MzI5NjdjZiJ9.xeFppR1ubA4i-dHG-u07ht9bQNogFheXQjLyEaP9GgAimages?q=tbn:ANd9GcQgDnBwx0yUPRKuetgIurtELxYERFv20CPAUcPe4jYrrJiwXzac8rGXlzd57gl8iikb1Tk&usqp=CAU

 

84039476_619085835534619_7808805634291269632_n.jpg

 

 

 

The platforms of the journal's are;
 

COPE.jpg
 
images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTbq2FM8NTdXECzlOUCeKQ1dvrISFL-LhxhC7zy1ZQeJk-GGKSx2XkWQvrsHxcfhtfHWxM&usqp=CAUicmje_1_orig.png
 
 
ncbi.png
 
ORCID_logo.pngimages?q=tbn:ANd9GcQlwX77nfpy3Bu9mpMBZa0miWT2sRt2zjAPJKg2V69ODTrjZM1nT1BbhWzTVPsTNKJMZzQ&usqp=CAU
 

 

images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTaWSousoprPWGwE-qxwxGH2y0ByZ_zdLMN-Oq93MsZpBVFOTfxi9uXV7tdr39qvyE-U0I&usqp=CAU
 


 


 

 


 


The indexes/platforms of the journal are;
 

TR Dizin Ulakbim, Crossref (DOI), Google Scholar, EuroPub, Directory of Research Journal İndexing (DRJI), Worldcat (OCLC), OpenAIRE, ASOS Index, ROAD, Turkiye Citation Index, ICI World of Journal's, Index Copernicus, Turk Medline, General Impact Factor, Scilit 
 


Journal articles are evaluated as "Double-Blind Peer Review"

 

All articles published in this journal are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY NC ND)