VERTICAL TRANSMISSION OF CYTOMEGALOVIRUS, MOST PROBABLY BY BREAST-MILK, TO AN INFANT WITH WISKOTT-ALDRICH-SYNDROME WITH FATAL OUTCOME

A 4-month-old boy with prenatally diagnosed Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome b ecame ill with a severe cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection, the outcome o f which was fatal. The parents had isolated the infant from other chil dren and adhered to standards of hygiene in order to avoid CMV infecti on because their first child had died of Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome and CMV infection. The mother breast-fed her child although she was CMV Ig G positive. The source of infection was most probably boast milk, whic h contained CMV at the time the infant developed the generalized CMV i nfection. Conclusion In infants with immunodeficiency syndromes. CMV i nfection may have a fatal outcome. Since the virus can be transmitted by breast milk, the advantages and disadvantages of breast-feeding sho uld, therefore, be weighed in newborn infants with an immunodeficiency syndrome whose mother is a CMV carrier.