Evaluating Dried Blood Spot PCR for Detecting Congenital Cytomegalovirus in Newborns Identified by Targeted Testing

MedXY Editorial TeamAug 4, 2026

Dried blood spot (DBS) PCR testing demonstrated a high diagnostic sensitivity (86.3%) for congenital cytomegalovirus (cCMV) in infants previously identified by expanded targeted testing.
Sensitivity was higher for moderate to severe symptomatic cCMV disease (92.7%) compared to mild symptomatic disease (78.1%).
DBS PCR showed excellent specificity (99.5%) and positive predictive value (100%), suggesting strong accuracy in confirmed cCMV cases.
Results caution against direct extrapolation of DBS universal screening performance from this targeted cohort, especially for asymptomatic infants.

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This article was created using several editorial tools, including AI, as part of the process. Human editors reviewed this content before publication.

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