The prevalence of antibody to cytomegalovirus (CMV) increases with age, but widely varying patterns have been noted among different populations. We examined two hundred and ten sera for the prevalence and titers of antibody to CMV by
anticomplement
immunoflourescence test. The sera were collected from children under 15 years of age, admitted to the Seoul National University Children's Hospital for elective surgery or minor problems. Overall, 90% of the children had antibody to CMV. The
prevalence
and geometric mean titer of antibody were high in infants under 2 months of age, 90% and 103, respectively, and lowest in the age group of 3-11 months, 80%and 47, respectively, The prevalence increased thereafter, reaching a plateau at 97% by 7~9
years.
These data indicate that the most of Korean children were infected by CMV early in the life.
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