Overview of Human cytomegalovirus (CMV) Infections

Abstract

Human cytomegalovirus (CMV), one of the viruses well adapted to the human body, goes into a silent phase after the first infection (primary infection), which is mostly asymptomatic. In the latent phase, the virus presence continues throughout the life of the host, with its ability to form latent infection where viral activity is at very low levels. However, this silence is lost in immunocompromised or immunosuppressed patient groups such as AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome) patients, solid organ transplant recipients, and patients with hematological malignancies and the reactivated virus may appear with serious diseases. CMV infections are also important due to congenital infections and related complications caused during the fetal period when the immune system is not sufficiently developed. Immune system deficiency is an important risk factor for reactivation of CMV infections, with another perspective CMV, which is one of the largest viruses associated with human infections, is an infectious agent that exhibits immunomodulatory effects by suppressing or activating the immune response with a large number of proteins it encodes. Research on the oncogenic potential of CMV has not yet provided clear evidence. The absence of an approved preventive vaccine against CMV and the current problems associated with antiviral therapy have made it critically important to monitor viral reactivation and antiviral resistance, mainly by CMV-DNA tests, in the management of CMV infections. Although some difficulties remain in obtaining comparable test results and in defining threshold viral load values for antiviral therapy, an increasing number of studies are leading to the development of new diagnostic and therapeutic approaches. In this review article, while providing an overview of CMV infections, that are mentioned viral characteristics, current approaches new diagnosis and treatment strategies.