1. Prevalence of cytomegalovirus seropositivity in an urban childhood population in Cameroon.
- Author
-
Stroffolini T, Ngatchu T, Chiaramonte M, Giammanco A, Maggio M, Sarzana A, and Taormina S
- Subjects
- Adolescent, Age Factors, Cameroon epidemiology, Child, Child, Preschool, Cytomegalovirus Infections immunology, Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay, Family Characteristics, Female, Humans, Male, Prevalence, Sex Factors, Urban Population, Antibodies, Viral blood, Cytomegalovirus immunology, Cytomegalovirus Infections epidemiology
- Abstract
In 1989, the prevalence of antibody to cytomegalovirus (CMV) was determined by the ELISA method in serum samples from 198 apparently healthy children 4-14 years old in Kumba City (Cameroon). Children were randomly recruited from six primary schools located in different districts of the city. The overall prevalence was 94.0%, increasing from 88.5% in 4-6 years old to 98% in subjects 11-14 years old. A slight male predominance was observed (96.2% versus 92.4%), which was not statistically significant. Family size and father's occupation were not associated with anti-CMV prevalence. These findings demonstrate a virtually total exposure to CMV infection by late childhood in Cameroon. However, the undesirable consequences of congenitally acquired CMV infection are rare, because nearly 100% of the women are seropositive by the time they reach childbearing age.
- Published
- 1993