Cytomegalovirus (CMV) is a common herpes virus that often has no symptoms but can cause problems for people with weakened immune systems, pregnant women, and babies. There is no cure, but antiviral drugs can help control it. CMV is also an indicator of HIV/AIDS.
Cytomegalovirus (CMV) is a very common virus in the group of herpes viruses. As many as 80% of some populations are infected with cytomegalovirus and, for the most part, infections are silent, meaning no symptoms appear, although people with silent infections are still carriers. Some people are at risk of developing symptoms of cytomegalovirus infection, including people with compromised immune systems and children, because children have poorly developed immunity.
There are several species in the CMV genus, some of which infect non-human primates as well as people. Cytomegalovirus attacks the epithelial cells in the top layer of the skin, causing them to swell and fill with fluid. It tends to appear in the viscera and internal organs, and also attacks the eyes, causing vision damage and sometimes blindness. If a doctor suspects cytomegalovirus infection, a culture may be done to check for the virus.
Because the infection rate of this virus is so high, there’s a reasonable chance that you have it, but your body has kept it at bay. Cytomegalovirus began to be recognized as a medical problem in the 1980s, when patients presented with a series of bizarre virus and bacterial infections that normally show no symptoms in healthy people. These opportunistic infections have come to be a key piece of the puzzle in the discovery of HIV/AIDS and, to this day, CMV is regarded as an “indicator infection” suggesting the presence of HIV or AIDS.
In addition to HIV/AIDS patients, this virus can also appear in people taking immunosuppressant drugs to prepare for organ transplantation and in cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy and radiation. Cytomegalovirus infection can also be a problem in pregnant women, as the virus can cause neurological deficits, hearing problems, and vision problems in unborn babies.
Some silent carriers experience vague symptoms, such as fatigue, enlarged lymph nodes, and an enlarged liver or spleen. Often, these symptoms are so low that the patient never seeks treatment, but in some cases, a flare-up due to a temporarily weakened immune system can lead someone to go to the doctor, in which case cytomegalovirus can be diagnosed.
There is no cure for cytomegalovirus, although antiviral drugs can sometimes be used to control it and reduce symptoms. In people with a severe infection, intravenous medications may be given to keep the infection under control, followed by oral antivirals at home. Patients at risk for cytomegalovirus infection may also be given prophylactic drugs to suppress the virus or prevent infection and encouraged to use good personal hygiene to reduce the risk of transmission.
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