Congenital cytomegalovirus: new progress in an old disease

Congenital cytomegalovirus (CMV) is the commonest congenital infection in the developed world with an estimated prevalence of 0.18–6.2% of all births. Despite recognition for many decades of CMV as an important contributor to neurodevelopmental and hearing impairment in infants, little progress has been made with regards to prevention and treatment of this often overlooked infection. In the past ten years, however, research has addressed many important aspects of diagnosis, prognosis, treatment and prevention of congenital CMV. This review summarizes the more important of these advances as they apply to management of babies born with CMV.