Molecular detection of cytomegalovirus in hospitalized children: a cross-sectional study in Makassar, Indonesia.
Only 18% of serology-positive children had cytomegalovirus DNA detected in blood by polymerase chain reaction.
Molecular detection of cytomegalovirus in hospitalized children: a cross-sectional study in Makassar, Indonesia.
Human cytomegalovirus (human cytomegalovirus) is a significant pathogen in pediatric populations, yet serological diagnosis lacks specificity.
This study aimed to identify active CMV infection through molecular methods in hospitalized children previously diagnosed serologically.
A hospital-based descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted from December 2024 to March 2025 at Wahidin Sudirohusodo Hospital, a tertiary referral and teaching hospital in Makassar, Indonesia.
Positivity rates were higher in male children (21.4%) compared to females (13.6%), with the highest prevalence in infants <1 year (24.1%).
Among serology-reactive cases, the highest detection rate was observed in patients with concurrent IgM and IgG reactivity (50%), compared to IgG alone (10.3%).
Phylogenetic analysis of HindIII-X sequences revealed two descriptive, well-supported clades (bootstrap 98-99%) within human betaherpesvirus 5 in this hospital cohort.
molecular confirmation via polymerase chain reaction is essential to distinguish active CMV infection from serological evidence of past or latent infection.
The substantial discordance between serology and blood polymerase chain reaction findings supports integration of molecular testing as a confirmatory standard in pediatric CMV evaluation, particularly in IgM-positive cases-to prevent unnecessary antiviral therapy and strengthen antimicrobial stewardship in resource-limited, high-seroprevalence settings.