Determination and validation of the optimal sampling method for congenital cytomegalovirus newborn screening

About the Project

Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) is a ubiquitous virus with an adult seroprevalence worldwide of 86%. In most immunocompetent individuals infection is asymptomatic but the virus establishes a life-long infection with periodic reactivation and asymptomatic shedding. If a pregnant woman acquires the infection or a previous infection reactivates during pregnancy the virus can pass through the placenta to infect the fetus. Such congenitally acquired HCMV (cHCMV) is the most common congenital infection having an overall incidence of 0.64% of all live births, with considerably higher rates in some geographical regions. There are three possible outcomes of a congenital infection: severe disease evident at birth with a poor prognosis (10-15% of infants); asymptomatic infection (85-90% of affected infants); development of late sequelae, notably sensorineural hearing loss, among 10-15% of apparently asymptomatic babies. There is currently no means to predict which of the asymptomatic babies will go on to develop sequelae. This makes a universal newborn screening programme for cHCMV difficult to justify on ethical grounds as most babies who would test positive in such a programme would remain healthy.

A further barrier to implementing a universal screening programme is however, a lack of any consensus with regards to an appropriate sample type. The “gold standard” sample for diagnosing a congenital cytomegalovirus infection in a newborn infant is urine as generally viral concentrations are high in this sample. However, urine is a difficult specimen to collect from a baby and is impractical for the routine collection from all newborns. Other possible samples are saliva or blood (collected as a dried blood spot on filter paper). There are a number of studies that have evaluated saliva or DBS as a specimen for cHCMV but the data obtained shows wide variation in sensitivity and specificity of both methods. There are a number of possible reasons for this including variations in sample volume collected, variation in recovery of nucleic acid from the sample prior to molecular testing and variation in methodologies used to carry out the sample preparation and testing.

In this project we will determine the optimal sample and method for detection of cytomegalovirus in newborn infants with the aim of fulfilling the criteria required to justify implementation of universal screening for cHCMV

Candidates are expected to hold (or be about to obtain) a minimum 2:1 Bachelors Degree with Honours (or equivalent) in a related area/subject. Candidates with prior experience in cell culture, viral assay or molecular virology are encouraged to apply, but for good candidates with other relevant experience training will be provided in these techniques.

Eligibility

Applicants must have obtained or be about to obtain a minimum Upper Second class UK honours degree, or the equivalent qualifications gained outside the UK, in a relevant discipline.

Before you Apply

Applicants must make direct contact with preferred supervisors before applying. It is your responsibility to make arrangements to meet with potential supervisors, prior to submitting a formal online application.

How to Apply

To be considered for this project you MUST submit a formal online application form – on the application form select PhD PhD Medical Virology Programme. Full details on how to apply can be found on the Website: How to apply for postgraduate research at The University of Manchester

If you have any queries regarding making an application please contact our admissions team FBMH.doctoralacademy.admissions@manchester.ac.uk

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

Equality, diversity and inclusion is fundamental to the success of The University of Manchester, and is at the heart of all of our activities. The full Equality, diversity and inclusion statement can be found on the website: Equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI | Postgraduate Research | Biology, Medicine and Health | University of Manchester

Funding Notes

Applications are invited from self-funded students. This project has a Band 3 (high) fee. Details of our different fee bands can be found on our website View Website