Cytomegalovirus retinitis in an immunocompetent pregnant woman

Abstract

Cytomegalovirus (CMV) is a herpes virus that causes a wide spectrum of diseases. One of the most important clinical manifestations of CMV is retinitis which occurs often in immunocompromised patients and is a serious and sight‑threatening condition. The diagnosis is made clinically based on ophthalmologic examination but in equivocal situations can be confirmed by aqueous or vitreous polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing. Here, we report one case of CMV retinitis in a pregnant woman without any obvious immunodeficiency that started with mononucleosis like syndrome at first and followed by retinal involvement. The disease was diagnosed by ophthalmologists and confirmed by aqueous PCR. The patient was treated with ganciclovir. Our opinion is that pregnancy and its mild cellular immunity can probably be considered as a cause of CMV retinitis in this patient.

Keywords: Cytomegalovirus, immunocompetency, pregnancy, retinitis