{"id":4397,"date":"2021-09-15T14:13:01","date_gmt":"2021-09-15T02:13:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.awanuilabs.co.nz\/central\/wellington\/?page_id=4397"},"modified":"2025-05-05T14:03:51","modified_gmt":"2025-05-05T02:03:51","slug":"cytomegalovirus-cmv","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.awanuilabs.co.nz\/central\/wellington\/for-referrers\/microbiology\/how-do-i-diagnose\/cytomegalovirus-cmv\/","title":{"rendered":"Cytomegalovirus (CMV)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>Infection:<\/strong> Cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-atomic-blocks-ab-accordion ab-block-accordion\"><details><summary class=\"ab-accordion-title\">Brief description:<\/summary><div class=\"ab-accordion-text\">\n<ul>\n<li>Primary (acute) infection is often asymptomatic. If symptomatic it causes a mononucleosis-like illness, with fever and feeling generally unwell, usually without localising symptoms.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>In those with normal immune systems it is self-limiting and doesn\u2019t need specific treatment.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>It can cause more serious illness in people with severe immune compromise, and also congenital infections in pregnancy. Seek specialist advice in these situations.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Reactivation or reinfection can occur, but are not of clinical significance in otherwise healthy people and are very difficult to diagnose.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div><\/details><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-atomic-blocks-ab-accordion ab-block-accordion\"><details><summary class=\"ab-accordion-title\">Did you know?<\/summary><div class=\"ab-accordion-text\">\n<p>Unlike EBV (glandular fever), it is uncommon to see exudative tonsillitis (sore throat), and lymphadenopathy is also less common. Rash is seen in around one third of patients.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/details><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-atomic-blocks-ab-accordion ab-block-accordion\"><details><summary class=\"ab-accordion-title\">Who should I test?<\/summary><div class=\"ab-accordion-text\">\n<p>Laboratory confirmation of CMV infection is <strong>not necessarily required<\/strong> in non-pregnant people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Mimics to consider<\/strong>:&nbsp;Primary HIV infection, syphilis, viral hepatitis (if significant LFT derangement), bacteraemia e.g. endocarditis.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Lymphocytosis<\/strong> with mononuclear predominance, <strong>atypical lymphocytes<\/strong> on blood film, and some degree of liver test derangement are consistent with, but <strong>not specific<\/strong> for, CMV.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div><\/details><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-atomic-blocks-ab-accordion ab-block-accordion\"><details><summary class=\"ab-accordion-title\">Test of choice:<\/summary><div class=\"ab-accordion-text\">\n<p>Request<strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/scg.labapps.nz\/#\/WEL\/details\/26952\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">CMV serology<\/a>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>CMV IgG <\/strong>indicates infection <strong>at some point in time <\/strong>(can be acute <strong>or<\/strong> past infection)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li>Excellent <strong>sensitivity<\/strong> &#8211; negative result <strong>excludes<\/strong> CMV infection (unless tested <strong>within the first 2-3 weeks<\/strong> of symptoms)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Excellent <strong>specificity<\/strong> &#8211; positive result <strong>confirms<\/strong> infection at some stage<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>CMV IgM<\/strong> is used to diagnose <strong>primary (acute) infection<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li>Good <strong>sensitivity<\/strong> &#8211; negative result makes <strong>primary infection unlikely<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Poor<strong> specificity &#8211; positive <\/strong>result<strong> doesn\u2019t necessarily indicate acute infection<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>IgM can remain positive for many months after resolved primary infection, or reappear with other unrelated illnesses. The combination of <strong>compatible symptoms, atypical lymphocytosis<\/strong> and a <strong>positive CMV IgM<\/strong> makes the diagnosis <strong>probable<\/strong> (but not definite)<\/p>\n<\/div><\/details><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-atomic-blocks-ab-accordion ab-block-accordion\"><details><summary class=\"ab-accordion-title\">Tests to avoid\/specialist tests:<\/summary><div class=\"ab-accordion-text\">\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/scg.labapps.nz\/#\/WEL\/details\/26975\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">CMV PCR\/viral load:<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li>This is reserved for specialist use and specific situations, usually in severely immunocompromised patients and is not used for diagnosis of primary CMV.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div><\/details><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Infection: Cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection","protected":false},"author":18,"featured_media":0,"parent":4222,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"page-left-sidebar.php","meta":{"footnotes":""},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v24.2 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Cytomegalovirus (CMV) &#8211; 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