Tehran University of Medical Sciences Iranian Journal of Microbiology 2008-3289 17 1 2025 02 05 128 136 Mohsen Al-Zubaidi Department of Microbiology and Microbial Biotechnology, Faculty of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran Seyed Masoud Hosseini Department of Microbiology and Microbial Biotechnology, Faculty of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran Mohsen Al-Roudhan Department of Pathological Analysis Techniques, Faculty of Medical Technology, Najaf Islamic University, Diwaniyah, Iraq Maather Al-Harmooshee Department of Pathology, College of Medicine, University of Al Qadisiya, Diwaniyah, Iraq 2024 10 22 2025 02 04 Background and Objectives: Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) infection is the most common cause of congenital infection during pregnancy. It is a major concern worldwide with a wide range of clinical outcomes in fetuses and newborns due to HCMV reactivation or reinfection during pregnancy. Primary maternal infection is best diagnosed by examining IgM and IgG antibodies. The current study aimed epidemiology survey of congenital HCMV infection in pregnant women in Diwaniyah. Materials and Methods: 600 blood samples were collected from pregnant women, between 18-45 years old, in Diwaniyah Governorate for 12 months, from January to December 2022, in regards to their place of residence (urban or rural). All samples were monitored for both IgG and IgM antibodies against HCMV using rapid test and ELISA. Results: Our findings showed a high positive rate for IgG (95.7%) and (96.2%) and a positive rate for IgM (1.5%) and (1.8%) for rapid test and ELISA, respectively. The highest IgG positive rate was in the age group 26-35 years (43.33%), while the lowest rate (13.0%) was in the age group 36-45 years. The HCMV infection rate in rural and urban areas were (96.48%) and (95.26%), respectively, with no significant differences (P value>0.05). Also, the rate of miscarriages among pregnant women infected with HCMV was 28.83%, and the highest infection rate (30.51%) was recorded in the age group 26-35 years. Conclusion: The prevalence of HCMV infection and its related miscarriage among the studied population is relatively high with the highest rate in the age group of 26-35 years. https://ijm.tums.ac.ir/index.php/ijm/article/view/5096 https://ijm.tums.ac.ir/index.php/ijm/article/download/5096/1750