Conclusion
The present work demonstrated the presence of CMV DNA in placental tissue from asymptomatic parturients, evincing permittivity of this tissue to the virus. Also, CMV presence was investigated in the umbilical cord blood, which is responsible for nourishing the fetus along development, accusing a possible vertical transmission of the pathogen. There was no involvement of the placenta in more than 90% of the evaluated cases, and transmission apparently occurred by an ascendant pathway of the genital tract, once the virus can be released this way. This result reinforces that the placental barrier is efficient against viral infection, even when the virus present the ability to replicate in this site.
Considering the presented research scenario of a university hospital attending people under vulnerable social conditions at Southern Brazil, this study showed that familiar income lower than a minimum wage was a risk factor concerning the virus presence in the mother, consequently resulting in risk of transmission to the newborn. Skin color, was an independent risk factor, once mothers who were not self declared white presented at least 3 times more chances of CMV transmission to fetus during gestation. Classic economical and environmental factors from developing countries present a negative impact on maternal-fetal transmission of CMV, despite no consensus was still found concerning the tracking of the infection.