Abstract

A study of 531 female patients attending a venereal disease clinic was undertaken to assess the incidence of cytomegalovirus (CMV) in the cervix. The findings were as follows: (1) 35 of 531 patients had positive cervical cultures for CMV (6-6 per cent.). (2) 28 of 531 patients were positive for Herpes virus hominis (5-3 per cent.). (3) Excluding those who were pregnant, 20 of 28 with CMV were taking oral contraceptives (71 per cent.). (4) Seven babies born to infected mothers showed no signs of cytomegalic inclusion disease. (5) 28 of 35 with CMV had associated genital infections (80 per cent.). (6) Positive cultures were obtained in twenty cases for periods up to 10 months. (7) The CMV complement-fixation test was positive in all 23 patients with positive CMV cultures who were tested. (8) Seven male consorts were examined but CMV was not isolated from any of them. (9) A case of CMV mononucleosis was detected. It is suggested that the higher incidence in patients attending a VD clinic is due to the presence of CMV in the cervix predisposing to other genital infections rather than to its being sexually transmitted.