Cytomegalovirus (CMV) is a type of herpes virus that is commonly found in the body. It is usually a harmless virus but can cause serious problems in those with a compromised immune system. It is transmitted via intimate or sexual contact. CMV is excreted in urine, saliva, breast milk, cervical secretions and semen.

Illness is usually seen within 3 to 8 weeks of receiving infected blood via a transplant or transfusion. Infected people can transmit the virus for many months following infection and may have episodic infections for several years.

• sore throat
• tiredness
• fever
• diarrhoea, nausea and vomiting
• loss of appetite
• night sweats
• muscle aches
• joint pain and stiffness
• weakness.

Treatment is usually unnecessary due to the fact that the virus goes unnoticed. Over-the-counter medicines such as paracetamol can be taken for the mild symptoms, but generally it is recommended that the individual relaxes and takes things easy for about a month.

If the immune system is poor and the symptoms are more severe, treatment can be given with anti-viral drugs such as ganciclovir or valganciclovir. These do not kill the virus but try to prevent it from spreading through the body.

Not required but strict infection control measures should be in place around pregnant women, babies, young children and immunocompromised individuals.

Incidence data are collected by the Health Protection Agency. Please consult your local policy document for further information.

Complications can arise with a compromised immune system, such as with AIDS. In these cases the cytomegalovirus (CMV) can cause more severe symptoms such as:

• fever lasting for two or three weeks
• jaundice
• a long lasting coma
• hepatitis
• encephalitis
• pneumonia
• stomach ulcers
• retinitis.

In these cases, CMV can be life threatening.

Practice safe sex, using a condom regularly and correctly.

None as yet. Still under research and development.

The antiviral drugs ganciclovir and valganciclovir have some potential serious side-effects that must be taken into consideration before giving them to a patient. Ganciclovir surpresses the activity of the bone marrow and can cause blood disorders. People taking ganciclovir require close monitoring of their blood system.

Other potential side-effects include:

• rash
• low blood pressure
• nausea, diarrhoea and vomiting
• headache
• dizziness
• confusion.

In some cases the side-effects are severe enough to stop the treatment. These side-effects are more severe when the ganciclovir is administered intravenously. Valganciclovir causes similar side-effects to intravenous ganciclovir.

NHS Direct
www.nhsdirect.nhs.uk

NHS Direct Wales
www.nhsdirect.wales.nhs.uk

National Library for Health
www.library.nhs.uk

World Health Organization
www.who.int

Scotland’s Health on the Web provided by NHS Scotland
www.show.scot.nhs.uk

Avert – an international AIDS charity
www.avert.org

NAM, Aidsmap (Aids information for patients and health professionals)
www.aidsmap.com

Information on treatments for patients and health care workers from the BMJ
www.besttreatments.co.uk

Centres for Disease Control and Prevention
www.cdc.gov/ncidod/diseases/cmv.htm

CHIN J, ed (2000) Control of communicable diseases manual. 17th ed. Washington: American Public Health Association.

NAM, AIDSMAP (2004) Treatment and care [on-line].
Available at: http://www.aidsmap.com/en/docs [Accessed 17 April 2005].

NHS DIRECT (2005) Cytomegalovirus [on-line]. NHS Direct online health encyclopaedia.
Available at: www.nhsdirect.nhs.uk/en.asp? [accessed 13 April 2005].