DOI: https://doi.org/10.36347/sjmcr.2026.v14i11.044

Pages: 2611-2617

Background: Cytomegalovirus (CMV) is the most common congenital viral infection worldwide and a leading cause of sensorineural hearing loss and neurodevelopmental impairment. While postnatally acquired CMV infection is generally asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic in term infants, it can result in significant morbidity, particularly among very preterm and immunocompromised neonates. Objective: To describe the clinical, laboratory, radiological, therapeutic, and outcome characteristics of CMV infections diagnosed in a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), with particular emphasis on distinguishing documented congenital infection, symptomatic neonatal disease, and presumed postnatal infection. Methods: We conducted a two-year retrospective descriptive study in the NICU of Hassan II University Hospital, Fez, Morocco. Seven neonates with detectable CMV DNA by blood polymerase chain reaction (PCR) were included. Perinatal characteristics, neurological, sensory, hematological, hepatic, and respiratory manifestations, imaging findings, antiviral management, and clinical outcomes were reviewed. In the absence of systematic CMV screening at birth, infections diagnosed beyond the neonatal period were classified as presumed postnatal infections. Results: Gestational age ranged from 29 to 40 weeks, and birth weight from 1,200 to 3,400 g. One term neonate presented with symptomatic congenital CMV infection characterized by microcephaly, neurosensory involvement, chorioretinitis, and severe cerebral abnormalities, including lissencephaly, agenesis of the corpus callosum, and a posterior fossa malformation. Another neonate, born at 34 weeks and 4 days of gestation, developed multisystem disease characterized by jaundice, hepatic involvement, cutaneous manifestations, and a high CMV viral load. Pneumonia was reported in four patients, four required supplemental oxygen, and two required mechanical ventilation. Hematological abnormalities included thrombocytopenia in four patients and