Cytomegalovirus infection among employees of a children's hospital. No evidence for increased risk associated with patient care
K. B. Balcarek, R. Bagley, G. A. Cloud and R. F. Pass
Department of Pediatrics, University of Alabama, Birmingham School of Medicine 35294.
Employees of a children's hospital were studied to determine the prevalence
of antibody to cytomegalovirus (CMV) and the incidence of CMV infection
between 1984 and 1988 in relation to patient contact. At enrollment, 783
(63%) of 1250 employees had antibody to CMV. By logistic regression
analysis, age greater than 30 years, black race, fewer than 16 years of
education, employment for more than 1 year, female sex, and being married
were each associated with seropositivity at enrollment. Three hundred
workers who were seronegative initially were followed up; 13 seroconverted
over a median follow-up interval of 1.96 years, 2.2% per year.
Administrative, patient-care, laboratory, and support personnel were
included among seroconverters. There were no statistically significant
differences in the incidence of CMV infection when employees were grouped
by job type, number of hours per week of patient contact, or nursing unit.
The incidence of CMV among employees of a children's hospital was similar
to the rate expected for the general population. Risk of CMV infection was
not increased by patient contact in this setting.
