A Pilot Study Using Residual Newborn Dried Blood Spots to Assess the Potential Role of Cytomegalovirus and Toxoplasma gondii in the Etiology of Congenital Hydrocephalus

摘要

BACKGROUNDCongenital hydrocephalus is a condition characterized by accumulation of cerebrospinal fluid in the ventricles of the brain. Prenatal infections are risk factors for some birth defects. This pilot study investigated whether residual dried blood spots (DBS) could be used to assess infections as risk factors for birth defects by examining the associations between prenatal infection with Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii) or cytomegalovirus (CMV) with congenital hydrocephalus.