cytomegalovirus
noun
cy·to·meg·a·lo·vi·rus
| \ ˌsī-tə-ˌme-gə-lō-ˈvī-rəs
\
\
Definition of cytomegalovirus
1
: a herpesvirus (species Human herpesvirus 5 of the genus Cytomegalovirus) that in healthy individuals causes an infection that is asymptomatic or is accompanied by mild symptoms (such as fever or fatigue) but in immunocompromised individuals and newborns may cause an infection marked by serious, sometimes life-threatening symptoms (such as pneumonia, hepatitis, retinitis, brain inflammation, or seizures)
2
: infection with or disease caused by the cytomegalovirus
—abbreviation CMV
Examples of cytomegalovirus in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The scientists looked at cells infected with cytomegalovirus, a common cause of birth defects. — Quanta Magazine, "Viruses Find a New Way to Hijack Cells," 6 Dec. 2016 In a small percentage of patients, mono can be caused by other viruses, such as cytomegalovirus. — New York Times, "My Daughter Has Mono. Is the Whole Family at Risk?," 29 June 2018 Both are based on a herpes virus – cytomegalovirus – common in Americans and in almost everyone in the developing world. — Lynne Terry, OregonLive.com, "Oregon scientist develops promising vaccine against tuberculosis," 15 Jan. 2018 Sometimes babies infected in the womb with viruses like rubella or cytomegalovirus appear normal at birth, but later turn out to have serious problems with hearing, vision or learning, and officials want to know if Zika carries the same risks. — Donald G. Mcneil Jr., New York Times, "First Baby in Puerto Rico With Zika-Related Microcephaly Born," 28 Oct. 2016 Congratulations for spotlighting CMV (cytomegalovirus), a disease that can ruin the life of a fetus and baby. — Dp Opinion, The Denver Post, "Spotlighting the dangers and frequency of CMV," 3 Feb. 2017 About 4 percent of the fetuses tested had evidence of other infections that can cause microcephaly, such as toxoplasmosis, herpes, cytomegalovirus or syphilis. — Donald G. Mcneil Jr., New York Times, "Colombia Reports Major Rise in Birth Defect Amid Zika Crisis," 10 Dec. 2016 The sixth case — a gay African-American man who had contracted PCP and cytomegalovirus — went undocumented. — Krista Stevens, Longreads, "Poor, Gay, Black, and Southern: America’s Hidden H.I.V. Crisis," 15 June 2017 Viruses can infect and damage a developing baby's brain — Zika is the most notorious now, but rubella and cytomegalovirus can also cause severe birth defects. — Maggie Fox, NBC News, "Fevers During Pregnancy Raise Autism Risk, Study Shows," 13 June 2017These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'cytomegalovirus.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for cytomegalovirus
cytomegalovirus
noun
cy·to·meg·a·lo·vi·rus
| \ ˌsīt-ə-ˌmeg-ə-lō-ˈvī-rəs
\
\
Medical Definition of cytomegalovirus
1
: a herpesvirus (species Human herpesvirus 5 of the genus Cytomegalovirus) that in healthy individuals causes an infection that is asymptomatic or is accompanied by mild symptoms (as fever or fatigue) but in immunocompromised individuals and newborns may cause an infection marked by serious, sometimes life-threatening symptoms (as pneumonia, hepatitis, retinitis, brain inflammation, or seizures)
Note: Cytomegalovirus is transmitted chiefly in infected body fluids and secretions (such as urine or saliva) and causes enlargement of infected cells and formation of inclusion bodies.
Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV), a DNA herpesvirus with more than 200 genes, is a giant among viruses.— Bernard Roizman, Science, 30 June 2000 Her vision was failing at that point from CMV, cytomegalovirus, a common and usually harmless bug that can turn vicious in AIDS cases.— Peter Goldman and Lucille Beachy, Newsweek, 21 July 1986 Ganciclovir and foscarnet can be used to treat respiratory tract infections caused by cytomegalovirus in immunocompromised adults.— Harvey B. Simon, Scientific American Medicine, September 1994
2
: infection with or disease caused by the cytomegalovirus
Many of recent patients had also been treated for viral inflections such as herpes, cytomegalovirus and hepatitis B, as well as parasitic infections such as amoebiasis and giardiasis, the CDC said. — The Springfield (Massachusetts) Morning Union, 29 Aug. 1981 Cytomegalovirus retinitis can cause retinal detachment and these patients may complain of floaters, flashing lights, or loss of vision, although the onset of vision loss in these patients tends to occur more suddenly and can be described as a "curtain coming down over the eye."— Scott M. Whitcup, The Journal of the American Medical Association, 10 Jan. 1996
—abbreviation CMV