Context Reliable methods to screen newborns for congenital cytomegalovirus (CMV)
infection are needed for identification of infants at increased risk of hearing loss. Since dried
blood spots (DBS) are routinely collected for metabolic screening from all newborns in the
United States, there has been interest in using DBS polymerase chain reaction (PCR)–
based methods for newborn CMV screening. Objective To determine the diagnostic
accuracy of DBS real-time PCR assays for newborn CMV screening. Design, Setting, and …