Abstract
A recent study found a high rate of CMV excretion among children in a group day care center (DCC) enrolling primarily children from middle income families, suggesting that the increasing use of group DC in this country could change the epidemiology of CMV. We studied 5 DCCs serving children of diverse backgrounds and examined CMV infection rates (IR) (viral excretion ± serology) in children >1 year of age, in relation to demographic and family data. DCCs 1-3 serve primarily children from middle income families, whereas, DCCs 4-5 enroll children from low income families. The IR for DCCs 1-3 was 47% (86/183) and 25% (25/98) for DCCs 4-5, P=0.0004. The sex distribution and median age for all 5 centers was similar. DCCs 1-3 were predominantly white, (86%); 50% of the children were breast-fed >1 month, and no child had >2 siblings. In DCCs 1-3 mean maternal and paternal ages were 30.1 years and 31.9 years, respectively; mean # of years of education were 15.5 and 16.9, respectively. DCCs 4-5 were predominately black (73%); less than 25% of the children were breast-fed >1 month, and 20% had >2 siblings. Mean maternal and paternal ages were 26.9 and 35.3 years, respectively; mean # of years of education was 12.4 and 12.2, respectively. Susceptibility (seronegative) to CMV of parents in DCCs 1-3 was 41% (75/182); 17% in DCCs 4-5 were susceptible (P=0.0008). For middle but not low income families, group DC results in the potentially troublesome combination of high IR among children with a high proportion of susceptible parents.
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Hutto, C., Pass, R. EPIDEMIOLOGY OF CYTOMEGALOVIRUS (CMV) INFECTIONS: GROUP DAY CARE (DC) AND SOCIOECONOMIC FACTORS. Pediatr Res 18 (Suppl 4), 184 (1984). https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-198404001-00545
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-198404001-00545