Cytomegalovirus (CMV)

October 2007     View PDF     En español

Cytomegalovirus (CMV) is a common virus. It can infect people of all ages, including unborn babies. Once a person gets CMV, it stays in his or her body for life. Medicines do not rid the body of CMV infection, but they are used to prevent and treat CMV disease. There are ways to prevent CMV disease. While the virus is nearly impossible to avoid in everyday life, there are ways to reduce your risk of CMV infection. This publication describes how CMV is spread, its symptoms, prevention and treatments.

CMV is a type of virus in the herpes family—the kind of viruses that also causes chicken pox, shingles and cold sores. CMV is also knows as human herpes virus type 5, or HHV5. Most people in the United States have the virus by the time they turn 40. Almost all gay and bisexual men are infected with CMV, and more than 3 out of 4 people living with HIV carry the virus. CMV is the most common virus passed onto a pregnant woman’s unborn baby.

Most of the time, CMV does not cause disease. It may be a cause for mononucleosis, commonly called mono. Among people with damaged immune systems, including those living with HIV, being infected with CMV is a major risk of CMV disease, which might include the loss of sight and death. Unborn babies can also develop the disease.