THE PREVALENCE OF HUMAN CYTOMEGALOVIRUS (HCMV) INFECTIONS IN THE OTTAWA-CARLETON REGION By Faten S. Gazzaz A Thesis Submitted To The School Of Graduate Studies In Partial Fulfillment Of The Requirements For The Degree Of Master Of Science Department Of Microbiology And Immunology Faculty Of Medicine University Of Ottawa 1984 ABSTRACT In view of the low incidence of cytomegalovirus (CMV) infections in renal and bone marrow transplant in the OTTAWA-CARLETON REGION, a study was undertaken to assess the local epidemiology of CMV infections. First, we studied CMV viruria in age groups from 0-80 years. Secondly, we compared the isolation results obtained in the previous study with the antibody prevalence rates obtained from retrospective serological study in the same age groups. Thirdly, we investigated CMV excretion in cervical secretions in normal pregnant women in the third trimester of pregnancy. Nineteen strains of CMV were isolated in age-groups 0-9 years. No isolates were obtained from cervical swabs of pregnant women. The serological study demonstrated a low prevalence of CMV antibodies until the age of 30. The risk of acquisition of CMV infection is Low in the OTTAWA-CARLETON REGION.