Last Updated on July 29, 2021 by Debra Rose Wilson, PhD, MSN, RN, IBCLC, AHN-BC, CHT
How do you get Cytomegalovirus/How can you get Cytomegalovirus? Cytomegalovirus Causes:
Cytomegalovirus (CMV) is a member of a group of herpes-type viruses.
It is transmitted through body fluids via sexual and nonsexual contact; vaginal, anal or oral intercourse; blood transfusions or sharing IV drug equipment; bone marrow transplants; and from mother to infant during pregnancy, birth, or breastfeeding.
About 4 out of every 10 Americans get CMV by the time they reach puberty, mainly through contact with other children’s saliva. Adults, however, usually become reinfected through sexual activity.
How to tell if you have Cytomegalovirus? Cytomegalovirus Symptoms:
CMV often doesn’t have obvious symptoms and can be mistaken for mononucleosis (‘mono’).
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When symptoms are present, they can include:
- swollen glands
- loss of appetite
- fatigue and general weakness
- fever
- night sweats
- a persistent cough
- difficulty breathing
- irritations of the digestive tract, nausea, diarrhea
- jaundice (yellowing of the skin or eyes)
In addition to the symptoms listed above, CMV can cause blindness and mental disorders.
How to know if you have Cytomegalovirus? Cytomegalovirus Tests:
CMV is usually diagnosed by a blood test, urine sample, or a chest x-ray.
Relief spells (Rolaids?!) Cytomegalovirus Treatment:
Most patients recover in 4 – 6 weeks without medication.
Rest is needed, sometimes for a month or longer to regain full activity levels. Painkillers and warm salt water gargles can help relieve symptoms.
Antiviral medications are usually not used in people with normal immune function.
What’s going to happen to me?!!?! Cytomegalovirus Expectations:
Like many viruses, CMV can remain in the body for life, and there is presently no cure.
Things to be aware of… Cytomegalovirus Complications:
CMV can create kidney problems and is extremely dangerous for people who have immune system problems or HIV.
In people with compromised immune systems it may affect the liver, esophagus, and large intestine, and all of these conditions can be fatal.
Childbirth may be problematic for those with CMV as CMV is very commonly transmitted from mother to child during pregnancy or childbirth.
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References
- Symptoms
- De La Torre-Almaráz, R., V. Pallas, and JESUS ANGEL Sánchez-Navarro. “First report of Cucumber mosaic virus (CMV) and CARNA-5 in carnation in Mexico.” Plant Disease 100.7 (2016): 1509-1509.
- Wong, Yu Jun, et al. “Cytomegalovirus (CMV) hepatitis: an uncommon complication of CMV reactivation in drug reaction with eosinophilia and systemic symptoms.” Singapore medical journal 59.2 (2018): 112.
- Mizukawa, Y., et al. “Drug-induced hypersensitivity syndrome/drug reaction with eosinophilia and systemic symptoms severity score: A useful tool for assessing disease severity and predicting fatal cytomegalovirus disease.” Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology 80.3 (2019): 670-678.
- Marin, Lauro Juliano, et al. “Prevalence and clinical aspects of CMV congenital Infection in a low-income population.” Virology journal 13.1 (2016): 148.
- Liu, Yingna, et al. “Diagnostic utility of ocular symptoms and vision for cytomegalovirus retinitis.” PloS one 11.10 (2016): e0165564.
- Testing
- Bergevin, Anna, et al. “Cost–benefit analysis of targeted hearing directed early testing for congenital cytomegalovirus infection.” International Journal of pediatric otorhinolaryngology 79.12 (2015): 2090-2093.
- Boeckh, Michael, et al. “Cytomegalovirus (CMV) DNA quantitation in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid from hematopoietic stem cell transplant recipients with CMV pneumonia.” The Journal of infectious diseases 215.10 (2017): 1514-1522.
- Lee, Edward R., and Dylan K. Chan. “Implications of dried blood spot testing for congenital CMV on management of children with hearing loss: A preliminary report.” International journal of pediatric otorhinolaryngology 119 (2019): 10-14.
- Johnson, Jessica, et al. “CMV Disease in IBD: comparison of diagnostic tests and correlation with disease outcome.” Inflammatory bowel diseases 24.7 (2018): 1539-1546.
- Reitter, A., et al. “Incidence of CMV co-infection in HIV-positive women and their neonates in a tertiary referral centre: a cohort study.” Medical microbiology and immunology 205.1 (2016): 63-71.
- Treatment
- Goodman, A. L., et al. “CMV in the gut: a critical review of CMV detection in the immunocompetent host with colitis.” European Journal of Clinical Microbiology & Infectious Diseases 34.1 (2015): 13-18.
- Schulz, Uwe, et al. “CMV immunoglobulins for the treatment of CMV infections in thoracic transplant recipients.” Transplantation 100.Suppl 3 (2016): S5.
- Maffini, Enrico, et al. “Treatment of CMV infection after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.” Expert review of hematology 9.6 (2016): 585-596.
- Maertens, Johan, et al. “Maribavir versus Valganciclovir for preemptive treatment of cytomegalovirus (CMV) viremia: a randomized, dose-ranging, phase 2 study among hematopoietic stem cell transplant (SCT) and solid organ transplant (SOT) recipients.” Open Forum Infectious Diseases. Vol. 3. No. suppl_1. Oxford University Press, 2016.
- Smith, Davey M., et al. “Asymptomatic CMV replication during early human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection is associated with lower CD4/CD8 ratio during HIV treatment.” Clinical Infectious Diseases 63.11 (2016): 1517-1524.
- Prevention
- Rawlinson, William D., et al. “Congenital cytomegalovirus infection in pregnancy and the neonate: consensus recommendations for prevention, diagnosis, and therapy.” The Lancet Infectious Diseases 17.6 (2017): e177-e188.
- Revello, Maria Grazia, et al. “Prevention of primary cytomegalovirus infection in pregnancy.” EBioMedicine 2.9 (2015): 1205-1210.
- Fernández‐Ruiz, Mario, et al. “Cytomegalovirus prevention strategies in seropositive kidney transplant recipients: an insight into current clinical practice.” Transplant International 28.9 (2015): 1042-1054.
- Naing, Zin W., et al. “Congenital cytomegalovirus infection in pregnancy: a review of prevalence, clinical features, diagnosis and prevention.” Australian and New Zealand Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology 56.1 (2016): 9-18.
- Boeckh, Michael, et al. “Valganciclovir for the prevention of complications of late cytomegalovirus infection after allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation: a randomized trial.” Annals of internal medicine 162.1 (2015): 1-10.
- Transmission
- AABB, Clinical Transfusion Medicine Committee, et al. “AABB Committee Report: reducing transfusion‐transmitted cytomegalovirus infections.” Transfusion 56.6pt2 (2016): 1581-1587.
- Hamprecht, Klaus, and Rangmar Goelz. “Postnatal cytomegalovirus infection through human milk in preterm infants: Transmission, clinical presentation, and prevention.” Clinics in perinatology 44.1 (2017): 121-130.
- Kagan, Karl Oliver, et al. “Prevention of maternal-fetal transmission of CMV by hyperimmunoglobulin (HIG) administered after a primary maternal CMV infection in early gestation.” Geburtshilfe und Frauenheilkunde 78.10 (2018): FV43.
- Rawlinson, William D., et al. “Congenital cytomegalovirus infection in pregnancy and the neonate: consensus recommendations for prevention, diagnosis, and therapy.” The Lancet Infectious Diseases 17.6 (2017): e177-e188.
- Schleiss, Mark R. “Preventing congenital cytomegalovirus infection: protection to a ‘T’.” Trends in microbiology 24.3 (2016): 170-172.
herpes treatment
Wow, did not know that this is still fatal because it can affect the major organs of your body.
Jenelle Marie
Yes; although, often the immune system handles the virus on its own and people are not even aware they have contracted it. But for those who are immuno-compromised, un-born babies, and those who are otherwise ill, the virus can be incredibly problematic.