Cytomegalovirus (CMV), is a genus of Herpesviruses; in humans the species is known as Human herpesvirus 5 (HHV-5). It belongs to the Betaherpesvirinae subfamily of Herpesviridae. The name means "cell very big virus".
CMV especially attacks salivary glands and may also be devastating or even fatal to fetuses. CMV infection can also be life threatening for patients who are immunocompromised (e.g. patients with HIV or organ transplant recipients). CMV viruses are found in many mammal species, but generally are specific only to that species.
Infection with cytomegalovirus (CMV), is very common. Between 50% and 85% of people , for example, in the United States have had a CMV infection by the time they are 40 years old, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Children typically become infected with the virus in early childhood, especially those in child-care and preschool settings. CMV infections are rarely serious in otherwise healthy children and adults; they usually cause only mild symptoms, if any. When symptoms do appear, they are similar to those seen in mononucleosis ("mono") and only last a few weeks.
CMV is mainly a problem for certain high-risk groups, including:
unborn babies whose mothers become infected with CMV during the pregnancy children or
adults whose immune systems have been weakened by disease or
drug treatment, such as organ transplant recipients or people infected with HIV
Once a person has had a CMV infection, the virus usually lies dormant (or inactive) in the body, but it can be reactivated. The virus is more likely to be reactivated – and cause serious illness – in people who have weakened immune systems due to illness.
Breast milk and cytomegalovirus infection in preterm infants.
How cytomegalorvirus reactivation could cause pulmonary pathology in septic hosts.
High impact of an expanded restriction fragment length polymorphism assay on detection of ganciclovir-resistant UL97 mutants of human cytomegalovirus.
Ganciclovir-resistant cytomegalovirus disease after allogeneic stem cell transplantation: pitfalls of phenotypic diagnosis by in vitro selection of an UL97 mutant strain.
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