September 25, 2026- Researchers at Cleveland Clinic Children’s have developed a new screening program for congenital cytomegalovirus, the most common infection passed from mothers to babies during pregnancy. While many babies with congenital cytomegalovirus have no obvious symptoms, some can develop hearing loss, developmental delays or other medical complications as they grow. Results published in Pediatrics revealed the screening program identified 34 babies with congenital cytomegalovirus, increasing detection rates by approximately 2.5 times.
Despite expanding screening requirements across the United States, there is no consensus guidance on screening approach, resulting in wide variations in implementation. Cleveland Clinic Children’s added the new screening program –consisting first of a swab, then, if needed, a urine sample– across Cleveland Clinic locations in Ohio between 2022 and 2025. During that time, more than 50,000 babies were born at Cleveland Clinic locations, and nearly 7,500 were screened while in the nursery or neonatal intensive care units, increasing annual testing from about 150 babies per year to more than 2,000.