Цитомегаловирусная инфекция

Symptoms of Cytomegalic inclusion disease are fever, enlargement of the liver and spleen, thrombocytopenia, jaundice, and purpura. Little children that are infected by CMV also often suffer from developmental disabilities, hearing and vision loss, petechiae (skin rash resulting from bleeding in the skin), pneumonia and damage of the central nervous system (brain abnormalities, small head size, etc.). Quite a few patients with a weak immune system may also have more severe forms of infection that include the nervous system. However, most people who get the disease as children or adults don’t show any signs of the illness or have only mild symptoms such as fatigue, fever, or tender lymph nodes.

CMV is caused by infection with the cytomegalovirus (CMV), a common virus that can affect almost anybody. It is mostly transmitted when infected body fluids (e.g. saliva, breast milk, blood, urine, semen) come in contact with the mucous membranes of uninfected people, or through transplantation of infected organs. Unborn babies often acquire CMV in the womb or when passing through the birth canal of an infected mother.

The disease is the most common cause of congenital abnormalities, e.g. in the USA. It can also cause pneumonia and other illnesses in patients with impaired immune systems (people with HIV/AIDS or recipients of organ transplants e.g.). For the fetus or newborn infant, Cytomegalic inclusion disease is especially dangerous, and can be even lethal. It may cause serious systemic problems like bleeding, anemia, pneumonia, brain or liver damage.