[ Cytomegalovirus (CMV) Infection ]
What is Cytomegalovirus (CMV) Infection?
CMV infects between 50% and 85% of the United States adult population by the age of 40. It is the most common viral infection transmitted to an infant before birth. Once infected, this virus, a member of the herpesvirus group, remains within the person for life, but usually stays dormant and rarely causes serious consequences unless the immune system is compromised.
Infectious CMV may be shed in the bodily fluids of any previously infected person sexually or after close contact through saliva (kissing), blood, tears, semen, cervical secretions, urine or also breast milk. The shedding of virus may take place intermittently, without causing symptoms, and without any noticeable signs.
Healthy pregnant women are not at particular risk from CVM infection; the babies may be at risk, as CMV is the most frequently transmitted viral infection from birth in the United States. Complications for infants with congenital CMV, especially from mothers who become infected or have a recurrence during pregnancy, are associated with problems at birth and serious consequences later in life such as hearing loss, blindness, epilepsy, and varying degrees of mental retardation. Congenital CMV is the leading cause of progressive deafness in children. Infants who contract CVM after birth, even through cervical secretions at birth or breast milk, have little or no symptoms or complications.
A concern is though CMV is not highly contagious, it has been known to spread in households and among children in day care centers. Simple hand washing with soap and water can effectively remove the virus from hands, so good hygiene is should be practiced when handling children and items such as diapers.
What are the Symptoms for CMV?
Some individuals who acquire CMV after birth, may experience mononucleosis-like symptoms with fever, swollen lymph glands, fatigue, and a mild inflammation of the liver. For most people, CMV infection is not a serious problem.
What is the Treatment for CMV?
Like other herpesvirus infections, CMV is incurable, and vaccines are still in the developmental stage. Severe suppression of the immune system can reactivate the virus from the dormant state, so maintaining a healthy body is the first line of defense.
For those with impaired immune systems who have AIDS-associated CMV retinitis or life threatening illnesses, ganciclovir and foscarnet are used.
How do you Test for CMV?
Most infections are not diagnosed because the virus has few symptoms and reactivates without being detected. The most commonly available serologic test for measuring antibody to CMV is (ELISA) the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Other tests include various fluorescence assays, indirect hemagglutination, and latex agglutination. Although CMV can be isolated from urine and other body fluids, it is not a reliable diagnosis of recent infection since it may be detected months or even years after the infection.