Cytomegalovirus

Question: Where can I find mothers coping with fetal cytomegalovirus? I am currently a student studying to become an ultrasound Technician (sonographer). I am working on a project concerning fetal cytomegalovirus. I would like to speak to mothers of children with cytomegalovirus or women that were pregnant with a child that had fetal cytomegalovirus. I would love to hear personal experiences, feelings, emotions, etc. It would be greatly appreciated! Look forward to hearing from you.

Answer: Heres a link for fetal cytomegalovirus message boards! http://search.yahoo.com/search?ei=utf-8&fr=slv8-msgr&p=fetal%20cytomegalovirus%20message%20boards&type=

Question: What are the long term effects of cytomegalovirus on the body?

Answer: I am not sure what the long term effects are. I do know that when I was in college I would donate plasma twice a week. I was told that at one time I did have cytomegalovirus, and that my plasma now had an extra enzyme or something. I got extra cash everytime I donated plasma!

Question: What is the treatment or anti-biotic for cytomegalovirus infection?

Answer: There is no treatment for CMV. If is a virus. Like any other virus, it needs to run its course.

Question: What is CYTOMEGALOVIRUS and how does it affect pregnancy?

Answer: This is a virus in the same family as the herpes virus, chickenpox etc, it is spread by person to person contact, body fluids, pregnant mother to unborn baby, breast feeding etc. This can affect the baby as it can be passed on though the mother most infected newborn babies don't have any symptoms from birth, but these can develop in the infant years this can be mental and development problems and visual and hearing problems, very rarely the baby can be born with a life threatening infection, the children who get infected after birth have few if any symptoms or complications if symptoms do appear these could be lung problems, difficulty gaining weight, swollen glands, liver or blood problems.

Question: Are cytomegalovirus (CMV) infections marked by a decrease of neutrophils? I guess CMV infections cause a decrease in the no of platelets but will they also be related to a decrease in neutrophils? Thanks

Answer: Viruses typically cause an increase in lymphocytes, bacteria cause an increase in neutrophils. Don't know about the low platelets. What you do see are inclusion bodies within the nucleus of the cells it infects which typically look like "owl eyes". All herpes viruses replicate in the nucleus.

Question: how easy is it to catch cytomegalovirus (CMV) during pregnancy from an infected baby? i have just found out my friends baby has cytomegalovirus (CMV) i had been looking after him for a few hrs a weeks, im 8 weeks pregnant whats the chances i could have caught it from him

Answer: Im not sure what the transmission rate is, but the majority of people carry CMV without knowing. Its only a problem if your immune system is supressed such as with transplant patients, or AIDS.

Question: how does a cytomegalovirus reproduce? how does a cytomegalovirus(CMV) reproduce?

Answer: CMV live and grow within cells. Once a virus is inside a cell it uses the ‘machinery’ normally found in each cell to help it to grow and make more copies of itself (replicate).

Question: Cytomegalovirus and glioblastoma link? Is there more research being done? Thanks, April, but i am referring to this, "More than 80 percent of patients newly diagnosed with the brain cancer glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) exhibit detectable CMV in their blood as well as in their tumors..."

Answer: Glioblastoma, there's ongoing research and many clinical trials for this almost ALWAYS fatal brain cancer. Cytomegalovirus, on the other hand, is a very common infection of the eye, also is a member of the herpes family. Hmmm, a virus that's carried by about 80% of people worldwide. Now, if you're on chemo for gbm, you are more suseptible to the virus. It does NOT cause gbm. From the same site you found that quote on: the fact that a vaccine based on CMV seems to have some effect on GBM, means the relationship has to be more than fortuitous: There were 21 patients enrolled in the trial, and the vaccine appears to have delayed the re-growth of tumors from a typical six to seven months after surgery to more than 12 months. Early results also show a lengthened overall survival among GBM patients, from about 14 months with standard treatment to greater than 20 months. Duke is a wonderful hospital, always on the cutting edge of breakthroughs with cancer. This is an interesting link: http://www.news-medical.net/?id=31533

Question: I'm curious what cytomegalovirus looks like, anyone have links to websites with pictures? wow, that's an interesting virus. Seems like smallpox.

Answer: http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://aapredbook.aappublications.org/week/039_11.jpg&imgrefurl=http://aapredbook.aappublications.org/week/iotw031207.shtml&h=352&w=400&sz=127&hl=en&start=2&um=1&tbnid=VPHjbfTMQuAAsM:&tbnh=109&tbnw=124&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dcytomegalovirus%26svnum%3D10%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN

Question: recently tested cytomegalovirus my question is how much can a person survive the disease .? very depressed about thetest result. can i still live my life to the fullest? iam married no kids wanting to have kids now that cmv invaded my body is it true no chance of having healthy baby. am i contagious to my husband can i still make love to him . i will see my doctor sometime this week what good question will i ask . tell me am i dying here. how did i acquire this . i used to get infected with cold sore often my friend gave me anti viral pill do you think that has something to do thats why i have cmv . does taking anti viral meds make you susceptible to have a cmv . or do you think i got it from a patient coz i work in the hospital , please answer me i really really need someone to talk to coz i haven't told my family about this.

Answer: what kind is it?

Question: Cytomegalovirus …..!!!!!? In the internet there is huge information how cytomegalovirus can affect your baby if you are having it first time during pregnancy. But there is nothing about women who have cytomegalovirus and want to became pregnant. Do you have any information about is??

Answer: Here are a few websites. Good luck.

Question: Congenital cytomegalovirus, effects that it has on new born.? I am 12 weeks pregnant and I was tested positive with cytomegalovirus at 9 weeks pregnant. I have been reading up on the information available on the internet and I have not found any babies born with cytomegalovirus that have been healthy. are their any out their please help, if you have had a child with cmv, or know of any.

Answer: hi dame, 33% of women who become infected with CMV for the first time during pregnancy pass the virus to their unborn babies. No actions can totally eliminate all the risks of getting CMV, but there are simple measures that can reduce spread of the disease. To learn how to prevent CMV. http://www.cdc.gov/cmv/resources/cmv_bro… dr.jagan....

Question: Can women mot get a pregnant because of the Cytomegalovirus ??? I mean can SMV become a reason for not getting pregnant???

Answer: You can get pregnant with it, but take a look at the link below before you do!

Question: is cytomegalovirus have a relation with IUFD in postterm baby? i want to know what is the cytomegalovirus, how can avoid infection by it

Answer: Cytomegalovirus (CMV) A virus that infects 50-85% of adults in the US by age 40 and is also the virus most frequently transmitted to a child before birth. Persons with symptoms have amononucleosis-like syndrome with prolonged fever and mild hepatitis. Once a person becomes infected, the virus remains alive and usually dormant within that person's body for life. Recurrent disease rarely occurs unless the person's immune system is suppressed due to therapeutic drugs or disease. CMV infection is therefore a concern because of the risk of infection to the unborn baby, people who work with children, and immunodeficient people such as transplant recipients and those with HIV. Spread of CMV is from person to person. Infection requires close contact with a person excreting the virus in their saliva, urine, or other bodily fluids. CMV can be sexually transmitted. It can also be transmitted via breast milk, transplanted organs and, rarely, blood transfusions.Although the virus is not highly contagious, it has been shown to spread in households and among young children in day care centers. Transmission of the virus is often preventable because it is most often transmitted through infected bodily fluids that come in contact with hands and then are absorbed through the nose or mouth of a susceptible person. Therefore, care should be taken when handling children and items like diapers. Simple hand washing with soap and water is effective in removing the virus from the hands. During pregnancy when a woman becomes infected with CMV, there is a risk that the infant may be born with CMV and have CMV-related complications. On the other hand, infants and children who acquire CMV after birth have few, if any, symptoms or complications. CMV is the most important cause of congenital viral infection in the US. For infants who are infected by their mothers before birth, two potential pictures exist: Generalized infection may occur in the infant, and symptoms may range from moderate enlargement of the liver and spleen (with jaundice) to fatal illness. With supportive treatment, most infants with CMV disease survive. However, from 80% to 90% have complications within the first few years of life that may include hearing loss, vision impairment, and varying degrees of mental retardation. Another 5% to 10% of infants who are infected have no symptoms at birth but subsequently have varying degrees of hearing and mental or coordination problems.

Question: Please, tell me more about infections who are provocated with cytomegalovirus?

Answer: Here is a bunch of information found on the site of the Center for Disease Control. CMV, or cytomegalovirus (sī-to-MEG-a-lo-vī-rus), is a common virus that infects people of all ages. Once CMV is in a person’s body, it stays there for life. Most infections with CMV are “silent,� meaning most people who are infected with CMV have no signs or symptoms. However, CMV can cause disease in unborn babies and in people with a weakened immune system. CMV is a member of the herpesvirus family, which includes the herpes simplex viruses and the viruses that cause chickenpox (varicella-zoster virus) and infectious mononucleosis (Epstein-Barr Virus). Who is at risk for CMV disease? Anyone can become infected with CMV. Most healthy adults and children who have a CMV infection will have few, if any, symptoms. However, certain groups are at higher risk of getting CMV disease. These groups include unborn babies who are infected during pregnancy people with a weakened (immunocompromised) immune system Risk of CMV infection is likely to be reduced by careful attention to good personal hygiene, such as hand washing. How is CMV spread? Person to person contact (such as, kissing, sexual contact, and getting saliva or urine on your hands and then touching your eyes, or the inside of your nose or mouth) Through the breast milk of an infected woman who is breast feeding Infected pregnant women can pass the virus to their unborn babies Blood transfusions and organ transplantations CMV is sometimes found in body fluids, including urine, saliva (spit), breast milk, blood, tears, semen, and vaginal fluids. A person can become infected with CMV when they come in contact with infected body fluids. However, people who are CMV-positive (have been infected with CMV sometime in the past) usually do not have virus in these fluids, so the chance of getting a CMV infection from casual contact is very small. Contact with the saliva or urine of young children is a major cause of CMV infection among pregnant women. Women who are pregnant or planning a pregnancy should follow hygienic practices (e.g., careful handwashing) to avoid CMV infection. Because young children are more likely to have CMV in their urine or saliva (spit) than are older children or adults, pregnant women who have young children or work with young children should be especially careful. What are the signs and symptoms of CMV? Most healthy children and adults infected with CMV have no symptoms and may not even know that they have been infected. Others may develop a mild illness. Symptoms may include fever, sore throat, fatigue, and swollen glands. These symptoms are similar to those of other illnesses, so most people are not aware that they are infected with CMV. Most babies born with CMV (in other words, "congenital" CMV) never develop symptoms or disabilities. When babies do have symptoms, some can go away but others can be permanent. Examples of symptoms or disabilities caused by congenital (meaning present at birth) CMV: Temporary Symptoms Permanent Symptoms or Disabilities Liver problems Spleen problems Jaundice (yellow skin and eyes) Purple skin splotches Lung problems Small size at birth Seizures Hearing loss Vision loss Mental disability Small head Lack of coordination Seizures Death In some children, symptoms do not appear until months or years after birth. The most common of these late-occurring symptoms are hearing loss and vision loss. Children with congenital CMV are more likely to have permanent disabilities and symptoms that get worse if they had symptoms of CMV infection at birth. But, some children who appear healthy at birth can develop hearing or vision loss over time due to congenital CMV. For this reason, if you know your baby was born with CMV, it is important to have her or him hearing and vision tested regularly. What health problems does CMV cause in babies? Hearing Loss Vision Loss Mental Disability Lung Problems Bleeding Problems Spleen Problems Liver Problems Growth Problems CMV can cause symptoms when the baby is born or later in the baby’s life. Most babies born with CMV never develop symptoms or disabilities. In some infants, hearing or vision loss occur months or years after birth.

Question: Does any one know why cytomegalovirus causes abortions?

Answer: CMV-positive women are almost 7x times more likely to have a miscarriage those without CMV and the vaginal shedding that accompanies the virus. It has been postulated as a result of many recent studies that the infection may in fact cause excessive immune reactions between the mother and the fetus, causing the body to spontaneously abort and/or cause stillbirth.