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90% of the world's population does not suspect that they are a carrier of a cytomegalovirus infection. The body of many people easily copes with this infection.

Why cytomegalovirus is dangerous: once it enters the human body, it remains there for life and, when the immune system is weakened, causes serious illness.

Newborns and people with immunodeficiency problems are especially vulnerable.

Human herpes virus type 5: a potential danger to all people

History of the discovery of CMV. Cytomegalovirus was discovered by the American M. G. Smith in the mid-20th century in the urine of a child with cytomegaly.

The disease of “huge cells” (“cyto” - cell; “mega” - huge) - this was the name of the pathology fatal to infants after the discovery of the German doctor M. Ribbert.

In 1881, under a microscope, he discovered pathologically swollen cells—“owl eyes”—in the tissues of dead children.

And American scientists have proven that the symptom of “owl eyes” is caused by the human herpes virus type 5, which they called cytomegalovirus.

They are relevant for women who are going to become mothers.

Important: Cytomegalovirus poses a fatal threat to the fetus during pregnancy.

There are several options for the behavior of cytomegalovirus in the body of pregnant women:

1. Primary infection. The risk of getting sick during pregnancy in women increases due to the natural weakening of the immune system. Primary infection with the active development of cytomegalovirus infection poses the greatest threat to the fetus.

During primary infection, women’s blood contains antibodies (igM +), which fight against infection, but are unable to protect the embryo from it.

In the 1st trimester, cytomegalovirus simply kills it - in most cases, miscarriage or embryonic death occurs.

1. Antenatal (intrauterine) infection in 27-30% of cases it is fatal and causes severe complications. Symptoms of a congenital disease:

• severe postpartum jaundice;
• abnormal enlargement of internal organs;
• multiple foci of inflammation;
• skin rash.

1. Intrapartum (during childbirth) infection appears 2 months after birth with the following symptoms:

• lack of appetite;
• runny nose, red throat, yellowing of the skin.
• enlarged lymph nodes and salivary glands.

Vaccination of an infant if he has latent cytomegaly can lead to damage to the nervous system, so a blood test and antiviral treatment are necessary.

1. A preschool child has a high risk of infection through contact with carriers of the infection. The course of the disease - mononucleosis-like syndrome - is similar to the symptoms of ARVI: fever, runny nose, redness of the throat. The duration of the disease (1-2 months) is a signal that it is caused by cytomegalovirus. The best treatment is to strengthen the immune system.
2. Human herpes virus type 5 is especially dangerous for people with immunodeficiency and artificially suppressed immunity:

• HIV-infected;
• patients with transplanted organs;
• people with cancer.

These patients develop a generalized type of infection: affecting many organs: lungs, liver, brain, gastrointestinal tract. Complex treatment is required for them:

• antiviral therapy: Ganciclovir, Foscarnet, etc.;
• intravenous administration of immunoglobulins that inhibit cytomegalovirus;
• vitamin therapy.

1. Serious illnesses are provoked by cytomegalovirus in ordinary carriers when the immune system is weakened (stress, overwork, unhealthy lifestyle). Inflammation of the cervix in women and the urethra are the most common of these symptoms.

Important: To date, there are no methods that completely eliminate the danger that any herpes virus brings.

The best doctor is the immune system, and it is connected with a person’s lifestyle. For people leading a healthy lifestyle, cytomegalovirus does not pose a great danger.

Cytomegalovirus (CMV) is a double-stranded DNA virus, a member of the betaherpesvirus subfamily. It has been known to man for a little over fifty years - it was discovered in the middle of the 20th century. However, even before this, cells similar to “owl eyes” were described in stillborn babies, which later became clear that they were infected with the virus. 50 years later, the same cells were discovered in patients undergoing organ transplantation.

Cytomegalovirus is a large virus measuring 150-200 nm in size, making it one of the largest viruses known to modern science. Its genome is a double-stranded DNA containing information for the production of more than 230 proteins.

After infection, viral proteins begin to be synthesized in the host cell with viral DNA - this is how CMV spreads and maintains its vital activity.

One of these proteins (DNA polymerase, necessary for the passage of the virus life cycle) plays the role of a target for currently in use antiviral drugs.

The incidence of the virus is high everywhere. However, this rate varies depending on age, location and socioeconomic status: infection is higher in developing countries and disadvantaged groups. According to survey results, on average in the United States, half of the population from 6 to 49 years of age is infected with CMV. Among 75-80 year old Americans, carriers are already nine out of ten people. In developing countries, among children aged one to five years infected approximately every fifth, and in older people this figure can reach 90-100%.

Because the virus can cause birth defects in children, these numbers have experts sounding the alarm.

How does the virus spread so successfully? It turns out that CMV evolves precisely in such a way as to hide from our immune system and make itself known only at the right moment for it, tells Rich Berry, one of the authors of a study on this topic published in the journal Cell. “However, all is not lost,” continues Dr. Berry, “the immune system is not idle either, it, too, is evolving and rearranging itself in ways that are necessary for the continued survival of our species.” Thus, an evolutionary "arms race" has emerged between the virus and the human immune system, and so far the virus appears to be leading the way.

Who is at risk?

Judging by statistics, almost anyone is at risk of infection. However, serious complications from the virus mainly affect people with reduced immune function: for example, patients with organ transplants, AIDS, or newborns. Especially receptive Premature babies with low birth weight are susceptible to infection because their immune systems are not yet fully developed. Moreover, scientists found out that certain genetic mutations can increase vulnerability to the virus.

The virus can be transmitted through secretions from the body of infected patients: through saliva, tears, urine, feces, breast milk, semen, etc.

You can also become infected through blood transfusion or organ transplantation. In addition, on some surfaces, CMV remains viable for up to six hours, and therefore may occasionally get infected and through contact with objects.

After the initial entry, CMV remains in the host’s body for life. The manifestations of its presence usually depend on the state of the immune system. “CMV is not like the flu virus, which our immune system can successfully clear from our organs,” comments Peter A. Barry, professor at the University of California, Davis School of Medicine. “Once you are infected, it is forever.”

Healthy people often have no symptoms of infection, and the virus does not make itself felt. However, the virus can be reactivated, and then the disease can manifest itself in complications of varying severity, from nonspecific febrile fever up to even fatal outcome .

Moreover, some scientists consider that in fact the virus is greatly underestimated and is associated with many more complications than can be found in the standard description for doctors.

Clinical diagnosis of CMV is possible in a short time conduct in the laboratory, and there are many methods for detecting the virus. Diagnosis of the virus has also improved in pregnant women, although according to the most recent studies, the standard test reveals not all cases of infection. There is currently no approved treatment for expectant mothers. Infants with mild symptoms of infection usually prescribe valganciclovir. Healthy people infected with CMV are most often dont need in treatment. Treatment is usually given to patients with weakened immune systems.

CMV and pregnancy

The main threat CMV poses to children in the womb. Although it is second in popularity to the Zika virus, cytomegalovirus is actually the most common viral cause of disability and birth defects in children in the United States. Intrauterine infection occurs in many forms, including prematurity, intrauterine growth restriction, microcephaly, and hearing loss. Burden of disease in children with lifelong disability due to congenital virus is assessed at $1.86 billion per year.

How notes Amy Armstrong-Heimsoth from Northern Arizona University, only 13% of women had heard of the virus. The researcher learned from a colleague with undiagnosed CMV that its transmission from mother to child can turn into a tragedy.

“Her son now has cerebral palsy and has lost his hearing and vision,” she says.

Particular attention is directed to women with both HIV and CMV, since with such double viral infection the risk of infection of the infant increases significantly. Studies have shown that HIV-infected women with CMV in their urine during childbirth are five times more likely to transmit HIV to their infants than women with HIV but without CMV. They are also 30 times more likely infect newborn CMV.

Experts call the best method of combating the virus in the future not drugs at all, but vaccines. They will help control the virus at the population level through universal immunization. First of all, such a strategy would be directed on women of childbearing age to prevent infection of the fetus. However, of course, they are also necessary for patients with organ transplants and hematopoietic stem cells.

Although there is no vaccine yet, researchers appear to already have enough fundamental knowledge to create one.

There are now many developments with different strategies - are engaged even pharmaceutical giants such as Merck and GSK are among them.

It is surprising that the fight against cytomegalovirus has not yet become one of the priorities of international health institutions. Vaccine development could be speed up by attracting public attention to this problem and appealing to political and economic organizations for help. We can only hope that numerous developments by scientists to create an effective and safe vaccine are already close to success - after all, they will relieve many families from the burden of the consequences of infection with the virus and save many lives.

Cytomegalovirus (CMV)- another domestic horror story, which I’ve been hearing about more and more often lately, so it’s time for another exorcism.

CMV is part of the herpes virus family, that is, it is another type of herpes virus that most of us become infected with during our lives, and it stays with us forever. According to American data, more than 50% of people over 40 years of age are infected with CMV. This virus is secreted by all biological fluids (saliva, blood, secretions, sperm, milk, etc.), so most often infection occurs in childhood or during children’s interactions with each other in groups or from parents through milk or kisses. If infection was avoided in childhood, then the virus awaits us already in the romantic period of life - there kissing and sexual intercourse become the main route of infection. In the vast majority of cases, no symptoms are observed after the virus enters the body. In childhood, the disease can occur under the guise of a common cold; a characteristic manifestation will be drooling, enlargement of the submandibular lymph nodes and plaque on the tongue. In adulthood, such symptoms may not exist. After entering the body, the virus remains in it forever and can periodically appear in various biological fluids, where doctors happily identify it and begin to treat it. Now based exorcism phase

1. CMV is completely safe for the vast majority of people and does not require detection or treatment. CMV is dangerous only for people infected with HIV, those undergoing organ transplantation, bone marrow transplantation, those suffering from cancer and receiving chemotherapy. In other words, for those who have a severely damaged immune system.
2. Everything terrible that you read about this disease on the Internet or your doctor tells you will never happen to you, of course, if you are not infected with HIV or you do not receive a kidney, heart or bone marrow transplant.
3. You do not have any reason to be tested for CMV - that is, you do not need to take a blood test for CMV, much less a PCR smear for CMV. These studies don't make any sense
4. Separate topic: CMV and pregnancy- the most terrible myths and misconceptions live here. So:
   • 50% of women enter pregnancy with a previous CMV infection and 1-4% become infected for the first time during pregnancy.
   • The likelihood of infection of the fetus is higher if a pregnant woman is infected with CMV for the first time during pregnancy, while the risk of infection in the first and second trimester is 30-40%, and in the third - 40-70%
   • In 50-75% of cases, infection of the fetus occurs in pregnant women who have previously had CMV infection due to reactivation of the infection or infection with a new strain.
   • Only one in 150 newborns is diagnosed with CMV infection, and only one in 5 infected newborns develops long-term consequences of CMV
   • Clinical manifestations of CMV in a newborn: premature birth, low weight, microcephaly (small head), abnormalities in the functioning of the kidneys, liver and spleen.
   • 40-60% of newborns with signs of congenital CMV infection may develop delayed disorders: hearing loss, visual impairment, mental retardation, microcephaly, coordination disorders, muscle weakness, etc.
   • Now a very important point - in the West it is not recommended to conduct studies to identify CVM for pregnant women and women planning pregnancy. This is due to the following reasons: there are only a few drugs for the treatment of CMV infection (ganciclovir and valganciclovir, etc.), these drugs have many severe side effects, so such treatment is justified only in patients with immunodeficiency, when the disease threatens health. As shown above, the likelihood of the fetus developing delayed serious health problems is so low that it is not advisable to terminate the pregnancy if a primary infection is detected or the infection is reactivated during pregnancy. The decision to prescribe treatment to infected newborns is made only after a serious assessment of the benefits and risks. Treating asymptomatic women before pregnancy is not even considered.

The situation in our country is frighteningly illiterate:

• They take a smear for CMV from the vagina - this makes no sense. Yes, from time to time in a previously infected person the virus may appear in all biological fluids, but this is not dangerous either for the pregnancy or for the partner. Let me remind you that in a person without immunodeficiency, CVM is not capable of causing a picture of a serious illness with damage to internal organs
• Before pregnancy, a test is prescribed for TORCH infection, which includes CMV, IgG to CMV is detected and treatment is prescribed. Moreover, this, of course, is not treatment with the heavy drugs described above, but favorite immunomodulators, drugs for herpes simplex and other bullshit. The funny thing is that IgG to CMV reflects the fact of the presence of protective antibodies to this virus, that is, it indicates the fact of a previous infection and the degree to which the body responded to it. Have you assessed the degree of absurdity of the doctors' actions?
• Some doctors insist on terminating the pregnancy if suddenly during pregnancy CMV is detected in smears or a primary infection is diagnosed based on blood tests (the appearance of IgM to CMV in the blood or IgG in those patients who did not have it before pregnancy). This absolutely cannot be done, since the risk of developing serious consequences for the newborn, even in this case, is very low.

To summarize:

1. CVM is not dangerous for you, more than half of the adult population were infected with this virus unnoticed and it did not affect their health in any way
2. You do not need to take tests to detect CMV - neither a smear nor a blood test - there is no point in that. Even if CMV is detected, no treatment is necessary.
3. If you are planning a pregnancy, it makes sense to get tested for TORCH infection. If the results reveal that you do not have IgG to CMV, the only recommendation is to wash your hands more often after interacting with children and generally avoid contact with children, especially if they have signs of a “cold.”
4. It makes no sense to be examined for the detection of CMV during pregnancy, since no treatment for CMV is carried out during pregnancy, since the drugs have many severe side effects, and the fact of detection of acute CMV infection is not an indication for termination of pregnancy.
5. Testing for CMV in newborns is carried out only if there is a suspicion of intrauterine infection, and the decision to prescribe treatment is made individually.

Most often, cytomegalovirus in men is in an inactive, so-called dormant phase, without manifesting itself in any way.

The carrier may not be aware of the presence of this virus until the immune system fails. Typically, this occurs during periods of colds and heavy stress on the nervous system.

Cytomegalovirus in a man’s body can manifest itself with the following symptoms:

• increase in body temperature accompanied by chills;
• inflammation of the lymph nodes;
• severe nasal congestion and persistent runny nose;
• soreness in muscles and joints, "ache";
• manifestation of a rash or individual inflammations;
• inflammation in the joints.

Since all these symptoms are quite similar to the symptoms of a common cold or flu, it is very difficult to determine the presence of this disease yourself.

But, if a common cold subsides in less than a week, with symptomatic treatment and taking anti-cold medicines and tablets, then the manifestations of cytomegalovirus may not subside for even two months. This is already a serious reason to contact medical institutions.

Course of the disease

Cytomegalovirus most often settles in the genitourinary organs without causing any particular discomfort or causing visible inconvenience. It is asymptomatic, exacerbating only against the background of stress for the body.

However, under favorable conditions, cytomegalovirus can cause serious damage to internal organs, encephalitis, pneumonia and other serious diseases. The human body's susceptibility to this type of virus is very high.

How can you become infected with cytomegalovirus?

Due to the high prevalence of this type of virus, it is not so difficult to become infected with it, especially considering the fact that CMV is transmitted by airborne droplets. That is, if there is a carrier in the same room as you, the probability of adopting this gene from him is quite high. However, most often, transmission of the disease requires closer contact, a kiss or conversation at a fairly close distance.

Cytomegalovirus can also be contracted through blood transfusions.. Although, it should be noted that today there are only a few such cases. After all, blood transfusion and collection stations now have all the necessary equipment that can monitor the presence of viruses and dangerous diseases in human blood.

The most common route of transmission of the disease is sexual contact, since all fluids in the body of an infected person contain DNA with the virus.

A significant proportion of men who have this virus in their blood received it while in the womb. This type of infection is the most favorable, so to speak, from the point of view of the presence in the blood of the fetus of a sufficient amount of antibodies to this type of virus. But only if the mother already had this disease before pregnancy, otherwise, infection of a pregnant woman with CMV, especially in the early stages, leads to miscarriages or problems with the fetus.

Diagnosis of the disease

As mentioned above, Cytomegalovirus symptoms are very similar to other diseases, which most people do not take seriously and let their treatment take its course, which in the case of cytomegalovirus can even result in death.

To diagnose a patient with cytomegalovirus, you need to do a blood test for the presence of IgG and IgM antibodies(stand for immunoglobulins of class M and G), the so-called immunoenzyme analysis. Based on its results, it will be possible to diagnose not only the presence or absence of the disease, but also the duration of infection, as well as what stage the virus is at the moment.

Prognosis for the presence of the disease

If a man has a normal, strong immune system, and there are no external factors aggravating the disease (for example, working outside in cold and damp weather), then no special therapy is required. The body itself copes with the “awakened” virus and “drives it” again it into an inactive state.

If you have any concomitant diseases, such as HIV infection, oncology (previous or in remission) and conditions after irradiation, It is worth paying special attention to the treatment of outbreaks of virus activity.

In this case, cytomegalovirus can disrupt the functioning of internal organs, including the central nervous system, brain and spinal cord. Provoke pneumonia and other serious diseases leading to death.

Treatment of the disease in men

As mentioned above, if a man’s immune system is normal, then no special treatment should be carried out. You can use broad-spectrum antiviral drugs (arbidol or acyclovir) to suppress the symptoms. You can also apply an ointment topically for inflammation and rashes, which contains a virus suppressive substance.

Immunity-strengthening agents containing human ferrons, such as “interferon”, “anaferon”, “influenza”, are very helpful in the fight against an aggravated disease and at the same time increase the body’s defenses.

No medications can completely kill cytomegalovirus in the body, although recent research in this area has revealed that an extract from licorice root - glycyrrhizic acid - is quite capable of significantly weakening this type of virus.

Prevention of cytomegalovirus in men

If a man is already a carrier of cytomegalovirus, then all he needs to do is try to lead a healthy lifestyle, not be exposed to stress and severe overload of the nervous system, so that the disease does not worsen.

If immunity is at its best, then no treatment is simply required, since in a passive state the virus does not manifest itself in any way.

To avoid primary infection, you should refrain from casual relationships and always use barrier contraception, as they provide the highest guarantee of protection against all kinds of sexually transmitted infections, including various herpes viruses, which include cytomegalovirus.

Be sure to follow basic hygiene rules, since transmission of this type of virus is also possible through airborne droplets. Simply washing your hands and using disposable utensils in public places will significantly reduce your risk of contracting the virus.

To summarize, we can say that cytomegalovirus for the most part is not dangerous for men, since it is asymptomatic, gives complications only in the presence of concomitant serious diseases, and during periods of its activity causes no more inconvenience than a cold or acute respiratory infection. Therefore, men with strong immunity should not worry.

See what medical faculty teachers say about cytomegalovirus in the video below:

By the age of 50, the vast majority of citizens are familiar with this infection, even if they are sure that they have never had it. It is safe for healthy people, but can be fatal to an unborn child. It has been compared to the Zika virus and there is still no cure. We are talking about cytomegalovirus infection. MedAboutMe figured out what it is and should we be afraid of cytomegalovirus?

The virus is “new and mysterious”

The virus that affects our species is an exclusively human infection; other living beings are not infected with human cytomegalovirus (CMV). Its properties are such that experts from the WHO European Branch called CMV “a new and mysterious infection that largely determines the future of medicine dealing with infectious diseases.”

Cytomegalovirus is extremely common. Antibodies to it are found in 10% of children under the age of one year, in 15% of adolescents, in every second person aged 35-40 years and in 90-95% of people over 50 years old. The presence of antibodies indicates a person’s close familiarity with CMV. The proportion of patients in whom the virus itself can be detected in the body varies from 44% to 85% in different regions of the world. But the proportion of people suffering from cytomegalovirus infection is, according to data from various sources, 0.2-3%. According to Russian scientists, CMV can be found in 32-96% of city residents and every second village resident.

Domestic researchers indicate that in recent years in our country, CMV infection has increased among children (by 30%) and among newborns (by 2.1 times). The number of cases of infection of children in the prenatal period has increased significantly - 5 times. And among adult Russians, the incidence of herpes viruses in general has increased by 5-9 times.

It turns out that, despite such a widespread spread of the virus, people get sick from it quite rarely. This is due to the fact that cytomegalovirus is an opportunistic, so-called opportunistic infection. This means that it can live in the human body for years and decades without manifesting itself in any way. But in conditions of immunodeficiency, the virus is activated and can lead to severe extensive damage to the body.

Cytomegalovirus and giant cells

The first mention of this “mysterious” infection is found in the archives of 1881. German pathologist H. Ribbert discovered an unusual kidney lesion in a child who was born dead and had congenital syphilis. Ribbert described abnormally large cells with specific inclusions in the nuclear area.

Similar cells in stillborn infants began to be identified in other pathologies - in the salivary glands, lungs, liver and other organs. In 1921, F. Talbot and E. Goodpasture proposed calling such cells cytomegals. Accordingly, the mysterious disease became known as cytomegaly. Within 5 years, the viral nature of the disease was proven - first in guinea pigs, and then in human children.

In 1956, two scientists immediately isolated Cytomegalovirus hominis, a human cytomegalovirus, from the tissues of children who died of cytomegaly. A year later, the virus was detected in the urine of living children with symptoms of cytomegalovirus infection. In 1961, Soviet researcher F.I. Ershov isolated CMV from the saliva, urine and milk of an infected woman.

Today it is known that CMV is a member of the betaherpesvirus type 5 family and has the largest genome of all herpes viruses. This is a DNA virus that exists in 6 strains.

Cytomegalovirus especially “appreciates” the epithelial cells of the salivary glands, which produce secretions. He reaches them with blood flow. The cells affected by it are transformed into giant cytomegal formations with nuclei clogged with viruses. Protein synthesis and other vital processes are not impaired in them, so such cells live for a long time, which ensures a long-term chronic course of infection. They can also be found in other tissues: in the kidneys, in nervous and muscle tissue, liver, etc. The presence of cytomegals leads to inhibition or, conversely, excessive stimulation of the vital functions of the affected organs. In both cases, this negatively affects the body: interstitial fibrosis can develop - the replacement of normal tissues with connective (scar) tissues, which leads to disruption of the organ.

Observations of the virus have shown that its ability to successfully replicate in different tissues and organs is due to its amazing variability. During the transition of a virus from one biological niche to another, up to 20% of its genes change, which affect its reproduction in different types of cells and evasion of the host’s immune response.

A virus that is everywhere

CMV becomes infected through close contact with someone who has the virus. The infection can spread through saliva, blood, semen, breast milk, and vaginal secretions. This means that it can be infected through sexual contact, aspiration, parenteral and oral routes. For example, transmission of the virus between children occurs through saliva in kindergartens, as well as between adults through kissing. By the way, according to American researchers, it is children in kindergartens who are the source of infection for the adults working there. Household items and damaged mucous membranes are also a possible way for the virus to spread. However, it should be added that in order to become infected by the above methods, multiple and prolonged contacts are needed.

It should be emphasized that carriage of the virus does not mean that its owner is dangerous to others. You can only become infected from a person at the time of his primary infection or at the stage of exacerbation of the infection.

CMV can be obtained from donor organs, including blood, since the virus can live in leukocytes for a long time.

Mother-to-child transmission of the virus

Mother-to-child transmission deserves special attention. A vertical route of transmission is possible - from a pregnant woman to the fetus: more often - through the placenta, less often - upward, from the cervix.

If CMV is detected in the vagina of a pregnant woman, then it will be detected in the child in 40-50% of cases. If only antibodies to the virus were found in a woman, then intrauterine infection threatens the baby in 1.5-2% of cases.

The most dangerous time for the fetus to get an infection is in the first trimester of pregnancy. At the earliest stages, CMV infection leads to disruption of the process of embryo implantation into the uterine wall. In this case, the risk of early miscarriage is high.

If the virus enters the fetus's body in the first weeks of pregnancy, its incubation period ends in the middle of the second trimester - and this is extremely dangerous for the child. 20-30% of born children will die a short time after birth. The vast majority of surviving babies (90%) develop severe complications: hearing and vision impairment, up to complete blindness and deafness, seizures, mental retardation.

Scientists even compare CMV with the Zika virus, pointing out that it is cytomegalovirus that leads to the birth of a million children every year with severe congenital malformations, including microcephaly. They believe that the Zika virus is still very far from the well-known cytomegalovirus in terms of incidence.

If CMV entered the child’s body in the third trimester, then at the time of birth the child will not have symptoms of infection, but IgM antibodies will be detected in the blood. However, this does not mean that the baby escaped the disease. When infected in the third trimester, tissue damage to the liver (hepatitis), brain (encephalitis), lungs (pneumonia), etc. can develop.

To determine the primary infection of a pregnant woman, a blood test is performed for antibodies. However, this method is not perfect. According to the results of a study by Japanese scientists published in July this year, standard screening methods for primary CMV infection in pregnant women can predict only 3 out of 10 cases of the birth of a child with congenital CMV infection.

In order to determine how much the virus has affected the development of the fetus, a pregnant woman is prescribed an ultrasound, amniocentesis and cordocentesis procedures, as well as PCR analysis to detect the DNA of the virus in the amniotic fluid.

According to Japanese scientists, the most effective method for diagnosing the presence of cytomegalovirus infection in the fetus is a combination of ultrasound and analysis of cervical secretions using the PCR method.

After birth, the baby can become infected through the mother's saliva and breast milk. So, if the virus was detected in breast milk, then three out of four newborns will become infected with it within 3 months.

Development of cytomegalovirus infection

In the vast majority of cases, the stage of primary infection remains unnoticed by humans.

Only 5% of cases develop a condition that doctors call mononucleosis-like syndrome. It is characterized by weakness and headaches, fever. Cytomegalovirus is indiscriminate and affects a variety of human organs: liver, spleen, organs of the genitourinary system (uterus in women, urethra and testicles in men), etc. Against the background of infection, allergic rashes and itching are possible. Sometimes lymphadenopathy and sore throat develop. Complications of the disease can include arthritis, encephalitis, respiratory diseases, and eye damage.

The acute stage of the disease gives way to the latent stage. The virus settles in the cells of a person’s organs for the rest of his life.

How to fight CMV?

CMV is a rather unstable virus to external influences. When frozen or heated to 56°C, it loses its activity. Cytomegalovirus can be destroyed with alcohol or ether. But he is practically “indifferent” to the effects of interferons - which, firstly, explains his resistance to attacks by the immune system, and secondly, makes attempts at treatment with interferon drugs useless.

To date, there are no drugs that are effective specifically against CMV itself. Therefore, people with the virus in the body, but without manifestations of the disease, as well as patients with mononucleosis-like syndrome, are not treated. The painful condition goes away on its own. If necessary, symptomatic therapy is prescribed to alleviate the patient's condition.

In June of this year, it was reported that valnoctamide, a sedative drug with anticonvulsant properties, reduces the risk of damage to the central nervous system in the fetus against the background of active CMV infection in the mother. So far, extremely encouraging results have been obtained from experiments on mice.

If we are talking about a generalized infection that covers the entire body, then antiviral drugs can be prescribed for treatment, which have such side effects that we are talking only about therapy “for life-saving indications.”

Conclusions If a person has never had a cytomegalovirus infection, this does not mean that he does not have the virus in his blood. Or at least antibodies to it, indicating that his body has already become closely acquainted with CMV. If a person has the virus in his blood, but the patient himself is not sick with an active form of infection, then he is not contagious. Women planning a pregnancy should be tested for CMV, or more precisely, for the presence of an exacerbation of infection or for primary infection with the virus. If CMV infection occurs during pregnancy, you should be examined to identify congenital malformations in the fetus.