CMV: What does it mean?

Have you ever been told you are CMV – or CMV +?  Wonder what it means?

A blogger from a blood center across the country, in fact the very first blood center to test for CMV, concisely explains CMV in relation to blood transfusions.

Billie Rubin from the Stanford Blood Center writes: ”Cytomegalovirus (CMV) is a virus that 50 – 85% of adults have been exposed to at some point in their lives. It is passed by person-to-person contact with body fluids, and it is in the same family of viruses that cause chicken pox and mononucleosis. In healthy people, it rarely results in serious illness and can remain dormant in their bodies for the rest of their lives. It can cause serious infection in babies, whether passed on through pregnancy or through a blood transfusion. Adults with weakened immune systems (cancer patients, transplant patients, HIV+ individuals) may also become severely infected. ”

Of course the Community Blood Center of the Carolina tests for CMV in all donated blood to ensure patient safety. If we have ever called you to let you know you were CMV -, this is why your blood is especially important. It is vital for any patient with a weakened immune system.

To read more from this blog post click:

http://bloodcenter.stanford.edu/blog/archives/2012/09/cytomegalovirus.html

To read more about CMV check out these resources:

http://bloodcenter.stanford.edu/blog/archives/2011/07/-cytomegaloviru.html