cytomegalovirus

cytomegalovirus
/suy'toh meg'euh loh vuy"reuhs/, n., pl. cytomegaloviruses.
a common virus of the herpesvirus family, usually harmless or causing mild colds but capable of producing severe systemic damage in infected newborns and immunosuppressed persons. Abbr.: CMV
[1960-65; cytomegal(ia) (see CYTOMEGALIC) + -O- + VIRUS]

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virus
      any of several viruses in the herpes family (Herpesviridae), frequently involved in human infection. The virus is so named for the enlarged cells produced by active infections; these cells are characterized by the inclusion of foreign matter, especially in the nucleus. Cytomegalovirus, which is transmitted by sexual contact or exposure to infected body fluids, is not highly contagious and rarely causes serious illness in otherwise healthy adults, occasionally producing mononucleosis-like symptoms. In infants and immune-compromised adults, however, it has serious, permanent consequences. Its distribution is worldwide, but it is especially prevalent in crowded communities with low standards of living.

      Cytomegalovirus is the most common congenital infection of newborn infants, who acquire the virus either in the uterus or during birth. Symptomatic infections in 10 percent of congenital cases cause jaundice, fever, and enlargement of the spleen and liver. Whether symptomatic or not, CMV infections are a major cause of congenital deafness and have other long-range neurological consequences, including retardation and blindness. Infections in adults with compromised immune systems can cause an opportunistic, severe pneumonia and inflammation of the retina leading to blindness; because these individuals have no natural defenses against the spread of the virus, such infections may be life-threatening. At present there is no effective treatment for CMV infection. In otherwise healthy adults, CMV infections are self-limiting and require no treatment.

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Universalium. 2010.

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Look at other dictionaries:

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  • Cytomegalovirus — Classification and external resources ICD 10 B25 ICD 9 078.5 …   Wikipedia

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  • cytomegalovirus — [sīt΄ō meg΄ə lō vī′rəs] n. [ CYTO + MEGALO + VIRUS] any of a group of herpesviruses that cause enlargement of the epithelial cells, esp. of the salivary glands, associated with pneumonia and with abnormalities in newborn infants that affect the… …   English World dictionary

  • Cytomégalovirus — Pour les articles homonymes, voir CMV. Cytomégalovirus …   Wikipédia en Français

  • cytomegalovirus — UK [ˌsaɪtəʊˈmeɡələʊˌvaɪrəs] / US [ˌsaɪtoʊˈmeɡəloʊˌvaɪrəs] noun [countable] Word forms cytomegalovirus : singular cytomegalovirus plural cytomegaloviruses medical a virus that usually causes minor infections but can cause serious infections in… …   English dictionary

  • Cytomegalovirus — Herpesvirus Her pes*vir us, n. (Med.) any of several dozen DNA containing virus of the family {Herpetoviridae}, including among them such human disease causing agents as {Herpes simplex virus} causing oral and genital {herpes}, {varicella zoster… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • cytomegalovirus — noun Etymology: New Latin, from cytomegalia + o + virus Date: 1963 a herpesvirus (species Human herpesvirus 5 of the genus Cytomegalovirus) that causes cellular enlargement and formation of eosinophilic inclusion bodies especially in the …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • cytomegalovirus — noun Any of several herpes viruses, of the genus Cytomegalovirus, that attack the salivary glands …   Wiktionary

  • Cytomegalovirus — A group of viruses in the family Herpesviridae infecting humans and other animals, many of the viruses having special affinity for salivary glands, and causing enlargement of cells of various organs and development of characteristic inclusions… …   Medical dictionary

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