Cytomegalovirus

How is the disease diagnosed?

The virus can be detected in various human tissues and even grown from these tissues in the laboratory. Because most people have CMV in their bodies, the significance of finding CMV depends on the situation. For example, CMV found in a baby in the first 2 weeks of life usually means the baby was infected inside the womb. A positive CMV result at any other time in life could mean a new infection or a reactivation of old CMV. Special tests may be useful in some cases to determine whether or not a CMV infection is new or old. A CMV infection of the eye can often be diagnosed by its appearance in people with AIDS.