MECHANISMS AND ANTIVIRAL THERAPY OF HEARING LOSS IN CONGENITAL CMV INFECTION

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This subproject is one of many research subprojects utilizing the resources provided by a Center grant funded by NIH/NCRR. The subproject and investigator (PI) may have received primary funding from another NIH source, and thus could be represented in other CRISP entries. The institution listed is for the Center, which is not necessarily the institution for the investigator. This project provides multi-disciplinary follow-up of infants and children with congenital cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection who are identified through screening of newborns at UAB Hospital and (since 1999) Cooper Green Hospital. The objective of this study is to define the mechanisms of neurologic damage from this intrauterine infection. The study follows patients with congenital CMV infection providing serial assessments of hearing, vision, and cognitive function, allowing definition of outcome of congenital CMV infection. Hearing loss offers a convenient, readily available and important endpoint that can be objectively measured in children with congenital CMV infection. The majority of children with hearing loss from congenital CMV infection exhibit postnatal progression of the deficit and this suggests that pathogenic events affecting hearing are occurring during early childhood. We will investigate the association between measures of systemic virus burden and outcome in children with congenital CMV infection. An analysis of the role of systemic measures of antiviral antibody and cellular immune responses in the development of an adverse outcome will also be undertaken. The enrolled subjects will be followed for a period of 3 years with regular audiologic assessments and samples collected (urine and peripheral blood) for viral load and CMV-specific immune response. The GCRC support will facilitate in the enrollment and follow-up of children with congenital CMV infection and in the collection of specimens.