Cytomegalovirus Infection in Early Infancy: Five Atypical Cases

Five cases of neonatal cytomegalovirus infection are described. None of them had the classical picture of neonatal cytomegalic inclusion disease. Two were cases of rhesus isoimmunization and two others were regarded initially as possible cases of ABO incompatibility. They were given intrauterine or postnatal exchange transfusions. Two of these cases were fatal, and one of them was remarkable in that cytomegalic cells were found at necropsy only in the salivary glands. One infant was born apparently well, apart from certain skeletal and corneal developmental anomalies, and probably acquired his cytomegalovirus infection naturally at about the time of birth. The possibility of introduction of cytomegalovirus infection by exchange blood transfusion is discussed, along with some of the resulting diagnostic problems.