Cytomegalovirus
genus of viruses
Cytomegalovirus (which means "Large Cell", when translated from Greek cyto-, "cell", and -megalo-, "large") is a Virus which people get. It's a Herpesvirus and is usually called HCMV (Human Cytomegalovirus) or Human Herpesvirus 5 (HHV-5).
| Cytomegalovirus | |
|---|---|
| |
| CMV infection of a lung pneumocyte. | |
| Virus classification | |
| Group: | Group I (dsDNA)
|
| Family: | |
| Subfamily: | |
| Genus: | Cytomegalovirus
|
| Species | |
|
see text | |
As with all herpesviruses, even without symptoms, the virus can still be in a person for long periods of time, even for life.
Two out of five people in the world have HCMV. More people in developed countries, such as the United States and the United Kingdom, have the condition. In these places, more than half of people have the condition.
There is no treatment or cure, but scientists in the United States are developing vaccines, but none has proven to work fully yet.
