A new grant will enable the collaboration between the Children’s Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota and the University of Minnesota Medical Center. The research will allow further evaluation of newborn infants failing hearing screenings for cytomegalovirus (CMV).
Typically asymptomatic, CMV is the most common congenital infection among children and is responsible for 30 percent of childhood hearing loss cases.
“Research on CMV is important due to the major impact this virus has on a child’s health,” said Mark Schleiss, M.D., professor of pediatrics and director of the division of infectious diseases and immunology at the University of Minnesota Medical School. “Finding new ways to control CMV infection in newborn infants is essential.”
The study will allow parents of referred newborns at the University of Minnesota Medical Center and Allina Health to be tested before being discharged from the hospital.
Many infants acquire CMV after birth, often during breastfeeding, so testing after 21 days can be a challenge. Hearing-impaired infants need to be tested for CMV in the immediate newborn period to determine if they were infected before birth, since CMV infection acquired after birth does not cause hearing loss. The point-of-care testing approach will help identify newborns who were truly infected before birth, and who may benefit from treatment.
“This grant will develop and implement a model for testing newborns for CMV if they fail their newborn hearing screening,” said Schleiss. “This will allow earlier detection, anticipatory guidance, and administration of antiviral therapy. It is an important first step toward possible universal newborn screening for CMV infection.”
The treatment of congenital CMV infection with the antiviral drug, Ganciclovir, can improve hearing and enhance neurodevelopmental outcomes for infants born with the infection. Currently, infants aren’t screened for CMV at birth.
Funded by Children’s Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota’s Internal Research Grant Program, the research partnership will include the Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases at the University of Minnesota and Timothy Lander, M.D., from the Children’s Hospitals and Clinics.
“This award represents an important collaboration between the two institutions, and hopefully will serve as a positive example for future interactions between our institutions,” said Schleiss.
Parents with questions about their child’s newborn hearing screening process should talk to their pediatrician or primary care provider.
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