UC San Diego

Human cytomegalovirus and Herpes simplex viruses 1 and 2 are double stranded DNA viruses that establish lifetime latency in a host upon initial infection(1–3). Primary infection or reactivation of the latent virus in a pregnant woman can transmit the virus in utero or during birth to the fetus causing high neonatal morbidity(4,5). Majority of these infections are asymptomatic at birth, but may present later with potential lethal infection and disseminated disease (HSV) or long term neurodevelopmental sequelae including sensorineural hearing loss (HCMV)(1,4,5). The infection can, however, be symptomatic where it may present as non-specific neurologic conditions for HCMV or sepsis-like condition for HSV or severe HCMV cases(4,6), which may not result in the physician ordering immediate testing for these viruses(4).

An early detection of HCMV/HSV is thus necessary to decrease morbidity for asymptomatic infections. Their specific detection against other disease-causing agents is also required to inform correct patient treatment for non-specific symptoms or polymicrobial infections. An ideal test should be rapid to aid in clinical decision-making and broad based to include these viruses with other common neonatal infectious agents with similar symptoms and for which tests are commonly ordered. This work discusses the development of a rapid quantitative PCR based viral assay for HSV and HCMV that can be multiplexed with sepsis or other infectious disease panels with its probe-free chemistry, in order to allow early and specific detection of these viruses in neonates.