Screen cCMV project

Project status: Active

Research area: Population Health > Centre for Community Child Health > Prevention Innovation

Implementing best-practice screening to detect congenital Cytomegolovirus (cCMV) cost effectively in the first weeks of life.

We understand that cCMV may be treatable in some cases if detected in the first month of life.

What is cCMV?

Cytomegolovirus (CMV) is a common virus in the herpes virus family. Around half of people have been infected with CMV by young adulthood, and up to 85% by 40 years of age. CMV may stay dormant (inactive) in a person’s system for years, and ‘re-activate’ from time to time, but the person often remains well and knows nothing about it. Most people have no symptoms.

For pregnant women who become infected with CMV for the first time, or if CMV re-activates during the pregnancy, there is a small risk that their baby will also be infected by CMV. This is called congenital CMV (cCMV). Most babies with cCMV remain well. However, some babies may develop deafness, vision problems and/or neurodevelopmental disability (such as cerebral palsy, learning and behavioural problems).

For more information visit the NSW Health website, Cytomegalovirus (CMV) and pregnancy fact sheet.

About Screen cCMV project

Currently in Australia, there is no routine screening for cCMV at birth. This means cCMV often remains undetected or is diagnosed too late for potential treatment.

Our group previously tested a targeted screening approach to detect cCMV in newborns who received a ‘refer’ result on their final newborn hearing screen, view the HearS-cCMV project for more information. This method of screening was feasible, acceptable and cost-neutral/saving. However, it only detected cCMV in those identified with potential hearing loss, and the PCR (polymerase chain reaction) test for cCMV was expensive and time-consuming to administer.

Fast, cheap and accurate screening tests are essential for early detection of cCMV, making potential treatment more accessible and paving the way to prevent deafness and cerebral palsy due to cCMV.

The Screen cCMV team is collaborating to implement best-practice screening for Victorian babies in the first weeks of life.

First sub-study

In the first sub-study, GenV cCMV, babies in GenV (Generation Victoria) will be tested for cCMV. GenV recruited families into a whole-of-state birth cohort over two years from October 2021. We will use a small portion of the saliva collected from GenV babies to find out how common cCMV is.

We will also use information collected by GenV over time to understand how babies with cCMV grow and develop. This will help us improve the current systems for identifying which babies with cCMV require treatment or close monitoring.

Second sub-study

In the second sub-study, HearS-cCMV 2, we will work with the Victorian Infant Hearing Screening Program (VIHSP), to implement an enhanced targeted screening program for cCMV as part of normal clinical care at Victoria’s four largest maternity hospitals.

Third sub-study

In the third sub-study, cost-benefit of cCMV screening, we will work with the University of Melbourne to determine the costs of targeted and universal cCMV screening. This will help guide the best method for cCMV screening in Australian newborns.