Cytomegalovirus: A Brief Exploration

Genovefa Papanicolaou, MD, Attending Physician, Infectious Diseases, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, provides a brief overview of cytomegalovirus.

Interview Transcript (slightly modified for readability)

“Cytomegalovirus is a virus of the herpes family; 50% of the population is infected with this virus. In healthy people, it doesn’t cause any problems, usually infection is without any symptoms. However, we carry CMV for life in our system and when the immune system gets weak, like after a bone marrow transplant, then the virus starts replicating and may cause viremia and disease.”

DISCLOSURES: Genofeva Papanicolaou has received research funding from Merck and consultant and research funding from Astellas and Chimerix.