Congenital CMV Infection: Where Are We Now?

Sunday, April 30, 2023

2:00 PM – 3:30 PM ET

Location: Convention Center: 145 AB

CE: Live CME: 1.50

Selected By: PIDS Independent
Co-sponsored By: AAP SoNPM

Chair(s)

Pablo Sanchez, MD

Professor of Pediatrics
Pediatrics
Nationwide Children's Hospital -OSU
Columbus, Ohio, United States
Mark Schleiss, MD

Professor of Pediatrics
Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases and Immunology
University of Minnesota Medical School
Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States

Disclosure(s):

Pablo J. Sanchez, MD: I do not have any relevant financial / non-financial relationships with any proprietary interests.

Mark R. Schleiss, MD: Moderna Vaccines (Ongoing) (Products/Services: Research Support including clinical trials & the principal or named investigator)

Session

Description: Congenital CMV (cCMV) infection affects 1 in 200 newborns globally. Because of parental concerns and advocacy, an increasing number of states have mandated targeted CMV screening for newborns who refer on the hearing screen as CMV is the most common nongenetic cause of sensorineural hearing loss. Yet, such targeted screening will not detect 50% of newborns who will develop hearing loss and neurodevelopmental impairment. The pros and cons of universal screening for cCMV infection continue to be the subject of considerable debate. On one hand, identification of cCMV at birth seems highly desirable, since early identification can allow for optimal long-term audiologic and neurodevelopment assessment, and evaluation for potential use of antiviral therapy. On the other hand, since most children with cCMV have a good prognosis for normal neurologic and audiologic development, critics of universal screening have voiced concerns about the undue anxiety that might arise. Minnesota will be the first and only state to implement universal CMV screening using dried blood spot in 2023. After intense parental legislative advocacy efforts, the state successfully passed in 2021 the "Vivian Act," a bill that directed the state health department to begin a program of universal screening. But what happens after the newborn tests positive for CMV? Recently, studies using molecular techniques (microarray, RNAseq) hold promise for development of a biomarker to predict which infant will develop hearing loss and neurodevelopmental problems. This timely symposium will provide parental as well as specialty perspectives on the current cCMV problem.

Learning Objectives:

Understand the parental perspective of having a child with congenital CMV infection
Understand the pros and cons of universal screening for congenital CMV
Know the management and follow-up of infants and children with congenital CMV infection and the potential of blood biomarkers to identify future hearing impairment

Presentations:

2:00 PM – 2:15 PM ET

So the Newborn Tests Positive for CMV, What Now?
Speaker: Pablo J. Sanchez, MD – Nationwide Children's Hospital -OSU
2:15 PM – 2:30 PM ET

Universal Screening for Congenital CMV: Be Careful What You Wish For"!
Speaker: Mark R. Schleiss, MD – University of Minnesota Medical School
2:30 PM – 2:45 PM ET

Can We Identify the Infant Who Will Develop Hearing Loss?
Speaker: Asuncion Mejias, MD, PhD, MsCS (she/her/hers) – St Jude Children's Research Hospital
2:45 PM – 3:05 PM ET

Congenital CMV Infection and Hearing Loss: The ENT Perspective
Speaker: Albert Park, MD (he/him/his) – University of Utah
3:05 PM – 3:20 PM ET

Congenital CMV Infection: The Parental Perspective
Speaker: Karen B. Fowler, DrPH (she/her/hers) – University of Alabama School of Medicine