What is a cytomegalovirus antibody screening test?
var html_compressed = ‘ by MedExpert ‘; document.write(html_compressed); var html_compressed = ‘ on October 26th, 2007 ‘; document.write(html_compressed); Definition Cytomegalovirus (CMV) is a common human virus. Antibodies to CMV are evidence of a current or past infection. Purpose Consequences of a CMV infection can be devastating in a pregnant woman, a transplant patient, or a person with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Antibody screening helps control the infection risk for these groups. In a healthy, nonpregnant person, CMV infection is almost never serious. Symptoms, if present, are mild, often resembling infectious mononucleosis due to Epstein-Barr virus. Antibody screening distinguishes between these two infections. Description When first exposed to CMV, a person’s immune system is triggered and quickly makes antibodies to fight the virus. Antibodies are special proteins designed to attack and destroy foreign material, in this case, the cytomegalovirus. The test combines a
