According to the CDC, around 1 in babies are born with the virus. The symptoms may be severe, and they include vision and hearing loss, small head size, weakness, difficulty using muscles, coordination problems, and seizures. Acquired cytomegalovirus can spread between people through bodily fluids, such as saliva, semen, blood, urine, vaginal fluids, and breast milk. A person can also contract the virus by touching a surface that has the virus on it and then touching the inside of the nose or mouth.
Most humans contract the virus during childhood, at daycare centers, nurseries, and other places where children come into close contact with each other. Recurring CMV can occur in people with a weakened immune system due to HIV, organ transplantation, chemotherapy, or taking oral steroids for over 3 months. Congenital CMV normally occurs when a female contracts CMV for the first time, either during pregnancy or shortly before conceiving.
Occasionally, a dormant CMV may recur during pregnancy, especially if the person has a weakened immune system. A pregnant person has a minimal risk that reactivation of CMV may affect her developing baby. If a doctor suspects that a pregnant person has CMV, they may suggest an amniocentesis. This involves extracting a sample of amniotic fluid to find out whether the virus is present. If the doctor suspects congenital CMV, they will test the baby within the first 3 weeks of life.
Testing later than 3 weeks will not be conclusive for congenital CMV because the baby may have contracted the virus after birth. Anyone with a weakened immune system should have a test, even if the virus is not active.
Regular monitoring for CMV complications will include testing for vision and hearing problems. However, people with a weakened immune system may develop CMV mononucleosis, a condition in which there are too many white blood cells with a single nucleus. Symptoms include sore throat, swollen glands, swollen tonsils, tiredness, and nausea. It can cause liver inflammation, or hepatitis, and spleen enlargement.
EBV mononucleosis is also known as glandular fever. But this mostly happens through close contact because the virus spreads through saliva spit , breast milk, vaginal fluids, semen, urine pee , and stool poop. This happens because the mother had a first-time CMV infection or a reactivated infection during her pregnancy.
An infected mother can pass the virus to her child before, during, or after birth. The CMV virus also can spread in childcare centers or preschool settings, passing among kids on contaminated toys or by direct contact. CMV also can be found in blood products and donated organs, causing infection after a blood transfusion or organ transplant. But preventive therapies are done for organ-transplant patients, and blood banks have procedures to help to prevent CMV from passing in blood products.
Doctors diagnose a CMV infection by testing fluid or a tissue sample from a person's throat, pee, blood, or other body tissues or fluid.
Blood tests also can look for antibodies that are part of the immune system's response to a CMV infection. Sometimes other tests are used. These people may be treated with intravenous IV antiviral medicine, usually in a hospital. Oral antiviral medicine also might be used at home after the infection is under control and no longer poses a serious risk.
These antiviral medicines can have serious side effects, so doctors use them with caution, especially in children. In bone marrow transplant patients, the antiviral drug ganciclovir given in an IV can be helpful in fighting CMV infections. In rare cases, CMV-immune globulin might be given before someone receives an organ transplant. Currently, there's no vaccine to prevent CMV infection.
Washing hands well and often can help reduce the risk of infection. This is especially important for:. It's also a good idea to not share eating utensils with young kids and to avoid close contact with anyone who has the infection.
There's currently no treatment for CMV in pregnancy, but in most cases the virus does not cause any problems for your baby. Treatment weakens the virus and reduces the chance of serious problems, but it does not cure the CMV infection.
Babies born with congenital CMV may have tests to check their kidneys, liver, brain, eyes and hearing, and regular follow-up appointments until they're around age 5. Pregnant women who work closely with children or already have a young family are more at risk of getting CMV.
Page last reviewed: 13 October Next review due: 13 October Cytomegalovirus CMV.
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