UMass Chan Medical School announces enrollment in study to examine impact of cytomegalovirus (CMV) transmission in early education settings
Study participants include children up to and including 36 months who attend group child care and early childhood education settings located in
The study, called CMV Transmission and Immune Tracking (CMVTransmIT), will examine how CMV spreads among children and between household members, with an aim to characterize immune responses to CMV infection over time. Findings from the study will inform the design of CMV prevention strategies, including awareness campaigns for CMV, to potentially reduce its spread in similar group settings.
CMV is the most common infectious cause of birth defects in the world. The virus can spread from pregnant women to their unborn children, a condition known as congenital CMV infection (cCMV). Infants with cCMV at birth are at risk for abnormal neurodevelopment, including hearing loss and microcephaly. Overall, nearly 20 percent of infants with cCMV have long-term effects from the virus.
The study is led by Laura Gibson, MD'94, associate professor of medicine at UMass Chan. Dr. Gibson has extensive expertise in congenital CMV infection, including studies of T-cell responses to CMV in children.
"By enrolling in the study, participants will learn more about the risk of CMV in their family's lives, while the study team will learn how to better understand transmission of this virus," said Gibson.
Participation in the study involves having the parent or guardian of the participant child complete an online eligibility assessment and survey about the child and their household, as well as having the child provide a saliva sample.
"With the dedicated leadership of Dr. Gibson, the CMV TransmIT Study is unique as it focuses on the transmission of CMV in the child care setting, which is a novel approach," said Lawrence Rhein, MD, MPH, the Stoddard Chair of Pediatrics and chair and professor of pediatrics at UMass Chan. "As a pediatrician, this study is important to help us better understand the spread of CMV in a large setting while also providing an opportunity to bring awareness of this common, yet rarely known, virus."
The study team appointed a Community Advisory Board to offer expertise in the areas of childcare, occupational safety and research, while also including community members, center parents and parents who have been affected by CMV. Through building relationships within the communities, the study team has already built a network of public and private licensed day care centers to participate in the study, including the YWCA of
"The YWCA of
"CMV is a complex virus, and approximately one in three children are infected before the age of 5. In addition, congenital CMV infection is the most common infectious cause of birth defects, and one out of every five newborns with congenital CMV infection will struggle with lifelong health problems including hearing loss and developmental disability," said Lori Panther, MD, MPH, Vice President, Clinical Development, Infectious Disease at Moderna. "Dr. Gibson's CMV Transmit study is an important effort to provide a better understanding of CMV transmission dynamics and immune response to infection."
Enrollment of group childcare and early childhood education settings in
About UMass Chan Medical School
UMass Chan Medical School, one of five campuses of the University of
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SOURCE UMass Chan Medical School
