Igg avidity as a diagnostic tool for human cytomegalovirus infection in aborted women in al-kut district – Iraq

Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) is a world widely distributed among pregnant ladies and it is considered the most prevalent congenital viral infection in the developed countries where acute infection during pregnancy is a leading cause of deafness and serious neurologic manifestations in the newborn babies and a questionable cause for recurrent abortions. This study conducted on two groups of women aged between 16 to 46 years selected from the gynecology clinic of Al- Kut hospital for gynecology and pediatrics (the patients group consists of 60 women with a history of recurrent miscarriages while the control group consists of 60 healthy pregnant women with no history of previous abortion ) for the period between February 2016 to February 2017 to seek for serum anti-human CMV IgG and IgG avidity levels using the ELISA test and genetic test for detection of gB gene after DNA extraction using PCR technique. The serum anti-HCMV IgG Ab was detected in 54 (90%) of women in the patients group while it was detected in 45(75%) of women in the control group. the serum IgG avidity for anti-HCMV IgG Ab was positive in 18(30%) of women in the patients group while it was positive in 3(5%) of women in the control group. the DNA extraction for PCR glycoprotein B gene revealed a positive results in 15 (25%) of women from the patients group while non (0%) was positive in the control group. These results proved that IgG avidity is a dependable indicator for diagnosis of primary CMV infection in pregnant ladies.