Seroprevalence of Cytomegalovirus in the North-Eastern Bulgarian Population, 2003-2015

The prevalence of cytomegalovirus (CMV) infections is between 50% and 85% in adults in different parts of the world. Its epidemiology varies on socioeconomic and age groups. The present retrospective study has been performed to determine the seroprevalence of CMV among the population in North-Eastern Bulgaria. For the period 2003–2015, the prevalence of individuals with antibodies to CMV was estimated, using indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) to detect virus-specific IgG and IgM. The population sample included 7879 randomly chosen hospitalized patients of both sexes and different ages. The total seroprevalence of CMV was determined to be 78.4% (CI 95% 77.5; 79.3), and the relative proportion of acute CMV infections 22.9% (CI 95% 21.9; 23.7). The proportion of CMV IgG and IgM by sex and by age was also analysed. The results of the study reveal that CMV infection is highly prevalent among the population and occurs mainly in the first years of life.