Other names: CMV, congenital; Congenital Cytomegalovirus; Cytomegalovirus Infection

Cytomegalovirus is a common virus with over half of the population in the United States, under the age of 50 years old, being infected. Once a person has had CMV the virus stays in the body as a dormant or inactive infection and is usually kept in check by the immune system. If the immune system is lowered or compromised the infection can be reactivated and is able to spread. Often when a person becomes infected with the virus they have no symptoms at all, so are unaware of their infection. Some people may have a few mild viral symptoms such as sore throat, fever and swollen glands. Most people who have had CMV have no serious health problems, however if a patient has a low immune system or a baby is infected by the mother during pregnancy (congenital CMV) there is a risk for more serious complications. The CMV virus can be spread from an infected person to others if there is contact with their body fluids including urine, saliva, tears, breast milk, blood or semen. Transmission of the infection can occur through blood or organ transplants from an infected person. Congenital CMV is when the CMV infection is passed from a mother to her baby during pregnancy. This can happen if the mother has her first infection while pregnant or she has a reactivation of an earlier infection. The majority of these babies will have no symptoms and have good long term health but some babies will have long-term health problems including hearing loss, vision problems, developmental issues and seizures.

Drugs used to treat CMV Infection