What is CMV titer?
The enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) is the most common serologic test for measuring antibody to CMV. A positive test for CMV IgG indicates that a person was infected with CMV at some time during their life but does not indicate when a person was infected.
How long does CMV last on hands?
The CMV virus survives on different surfaces for different periods of time. For example, it survives at least 15 minutes on hands, longer on plastic and shorter on wood. Studies suggest that it can survive on surfaces long enough for people to pick it up.
What does it mean to have CMV antibodies?
Antibodies are germ-fighting molecules that your immune system makes in response to infection. If you have CMV-specific antibodies in your blood, you may have a CMV infection. Like other herpes family viruses, CMV hides in the body after the first infection and can flare up again. Later infections tend to be milder.
What does CMV reactive mean?
The presence of IgG (immunoglobulin G) antibodies (reactive) indicates that an infection occurred at some point in the past. Therefore, a reactive (positive) IgG and non-reactive (negative) IgM result would indicate that an individual had experienced a past infection is not necessarily currently infectious.
How long does CMV IgG stay positive?
CMV IgM antibody in some women may remain positive for over 4 months (sometimes up to a year or more) or may be a false positive result. Therefore, a third CMV antibody test may be performed, called CMV IgG avidity index.
Is CMV fatal?
Women who develop an active CMV infection during pregnancy can pass the virus to their babies, who might then experience symptoms. For people who have weakened immune systems, especially people who have had an organ, stem cell or bone marrow transplant, CMV infection can be fatal.
How is CMV IgG positive treated?
What is the treatment for cytomegalovirus infection?
- Ganciclovir (Cytovene) is the first antiviral medication approved for the treatment of CMV infection.
- Valganciclovir (Valcyte) is an oral medication that is activated to ganciclovir in the body and widely used to prevent CMV infection (prophylaxis).