Background: Cytomegalovirus (CMV) is a ubiquitous virus that generally causes minor disease. Congenital CMV (cCMV) causes birth defects in about 20% of infected infants & is the leading non-genetic cause of pediatric hearing loss. Colorado added cCMV as a reportable condition in January 2025.
Methods: Retrospective review of cCMV cases reported to Colorado public health between January 2025-January 2026. We collected data through electronic lab reporting & provider reports, then matched records to vital statistics. We excluded out-of-state records.
Results: 60 reported cases met definition for either confirmed cCMV infection (n=54) or disease (n=6). Females were overrepresented (61.7%). The ethnic distribution of cases mirrored the Colorado population (23% Hispanic, 73% not Hispanic, and 3% unknown). Case racial distribution was 61.7% White, 20% other, 13.3% Black, 3% unknown, & 1.7% Asian.
Discussion: Ten percent of cases presented with signs visible at birth, aligning with reported U.S. rates. While race and ethnicity largely reflected DOLA 2024 population data, we observed a slight under-representation of non-Hispanic White (61.7% vs. 65%) & Asian (1.7% vs. 3.9%) infants, alongside over-representation of Black infants (13.3% vs. 4.3%). Surveillance case rates were 0.94 per 100,000 in the five-county Denver metro area, & 1.08 per 100,000 outside the metro; both figures remain significantly below the national estimate of 4.5 per 1,000 live births, in screening data.
Implications: Colorado’s early cCMV epidemiology for race, ethnicity, & rate of disease at birth is similar to national trends. Our rates overall and female preponderance are different from national estimates.These findings likely indicate a combination of variable testing practices, variation related to the first year of a newly reportable condition, & variation due to a small sample size. Regional epidemiologic differences or changing epidemiology over time may also be factors.
