Congenital cytomegalovirus may be leading cause of microcephaly

September 23, 2020

Lindsey Carr, Editor

A new study in JAMA Pediatrics analyzed the number of microcephaly cases that resulted from congenital microcephaly and how it may be a larger cause than the 2016 Zika epidemic.

Researchers ultimately found that congenital cytomegalovirus infection significantly increased the prevalence of microcephaly at delivery 7-fold. These findings suggest that preventing cytomegalovirus in pregnancy may substantially reduce the number of babies with microcephaly at birth.

For a detailed study summary, visit Contemporary Pediatrics.