Cytomegalovirus Acquisition and Inflammation in Human Immunodeficiency Virus-Exposed Uninfected Zimbabwean Infants

J Infect Dis. 2017 Mar 1;215(5):698-702. doi: 10.1093/infdis/jiw630.

Abstract

Cytomegalovirus (CMV) acquisition and inflammation were evaluated in 231 human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-exposed uninfected (HEU) and 100 HIV-unexposed Zimbabwean infants aged 6 weeks. The HEU and HIV-unexposed infants had a similarly high prevalence of CMV (81.4% vs 74.0%, respectively; P = .14), but HEU infants had higher CMV loads (P = .005) and >2-fold higher C-reactive protein (CRP) concentrations (P < .0001). The CMV-positive HEU infants had higher CRP than the CMV-negative HEU infants; this association disappeared after adjusting for maternal HIV load. Overall, CMV acquisition is high in early life, but HEU infants have higher CMV loads and a proinflammatory milieu, which may be driven partly by maternal HIV viremia.

Keywords: HIV-exposed uninfected infants; cytomegalovirus; immune activation; inflammation; Africa.

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • C-Reactive Protein / metabolism
  • Cytomegalovirus / isolation & purification*
  • Cytomegalovirus Infections / epidemiology*
  • DNA, Viral / isolation & purification
  • Female
  • HIV Infections / epidemiology*
  • Humans
  • Infant
  • Infectious Disease Transmission, Vertical
  • Inflammation / epidemiology*
  • Inflammation / virology*
  • Linear Models
  • Male
  • Pregnancy
  • Pregnancy Complications, Infectious / virology
  • Prevalence
  • Retrospective Studies
  • Socioeconomic Factors
  • Viral Load
  • Young Adult
  • Zimbabwe

Substances

  • DNA, Viral
  • C-Reactive Protein