The relationship between cytomegalovirus IgM index value and low IgG avidity

Ayfer Bakır; Muhammed Furkan Kürkçü; Mustafa Güney

doi:10.29333/jcei/17052

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Ayfer Bakır ¹ ^* , Muhammed Furkan Kürkçü ¹ , Mustafa Güney ²

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¹ University of Health Science Ankara Etlik City Hospital, Department of Microbiology, Ankara, TÜRKİYE² University of Health Science Gülhane Faculty of Medicine, Department of Microbiology, Ankara, TÜRKİYE^* Corresponding Author

Abstract

Background: Serological markers like anti-CMV IgG, IgM, and IgG avidity are used to diagnose cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection. This study assessed the seroprevalence of CMV antibodies and the predictive value of the CMV IgM index for low IgG avidity.
Materials and methods: A total of 5,666 serum samples collected between January 2017 and June 2021 were analyzed for CMV IgG and IgM using chemiluminescence immunoassay. IgG avidity was tested by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay in 40 IgG-positive and borderline/positive IgM samples.
Results: Anti-CMV IgM seroprevalence was 4.3%. Low IgG avidity was detected in 2 of 40 cases (5.0%). Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis identified 2.26 as the optimal IgM index cut-off, yielding 100% sensitivity, 86.8% specificity (area under the curve = 0.895, p = 0.06).
Conclusions: High CMV IgM index values may indicate low IgG avidity but are not sufficient alone. Results should always be interpreted alongside avidity testing. Threshold use without confirmation is not recommended.

Keywords

cytomegalovirus
avidity
ROC analysis
sensitivity
specificity

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This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Article Type: Research Article

J CLIN EXP INVEST, Volume 16, Issue 4, December 2025, Article No: em00847

https://doi.org/10.29333/jcei/17052

Publication date: 01 Oct 2025

Online publication date: 16 Sep 2025

Article Views: 11

Article Downloads: 1

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Vancouver

Bakır A, Kürkçü MF, Güney M. The relationship between cytomegalovirus IgM index value and low IgG avidity. J CLIN EXP INVEST. 2025;16(4):em00847. https://doi.org/10.29333/jcei/17052

APA

Bakır, A., Kürkçü, M. F., & Güney, M. (2025). The relationship between cytomegalovirus IgM index value and low IgG avidity. Journal of Clinical and Experimental Investigations, 16(4), em00847. https://doi.org/10.29333/jcei/17052

AMA

Bakır A, Kürkçü MF, Güney M. The relationship between cytomegalovirus IgM index value and low IgG avidity. J CLIN EXP INVEST. 2025;16(4), em00847. https://doi.org/10.29333/jcei/17052

Chicago

Bakır, Ayfer, Muhammed Furkan Kürkçü, and Mustafa Güney. "The relationship between cytomegalovirus IgM index value and low IgG avidity". Journal of Clinical and Experimental Investigations 2025 16 no. 4 (2025): em00847. https://doi.org/10.29333/jcei/17052

Harvard

Bakır, A., Kürkçü, M. F., and Güney, M. (2025). The relationship between cytomegalovirus IgM index value and low IgG avidity. Journal of Clinical and Experimental Investigations, 16(4), em00847. https://doi.org/10.29333/jcei/17052

MLA

Bakır, Ayfer et al. "The relationship between cytomegalovirus IgM index value and low IgG avidity". Journal of Clinical and Experimental Investigations, vol. 16, no. 4, 2025, em00847. https://doi.org/10.29333/jcei/17052