Cytomegalovirus
Cytomegalovirus is an infection commonly contracted in childhood which can recur in adolescence and adulthood. It is spread by droplet inhalation (which means it’s carried in droplets of infected saliva produced by a cough or sneeze). It causes inflammation of the throat and swollen glands with a mild fever, resembling glandular fever but with much less severe symptoms. In the immunocompromised, however, it can cause multiple problems including hepatitis (inflammation of the liver) and encephalitis (inflammation of the brain). In these patients (those, for example, who are on immunosuppressants treatment following organ transplants) there are specific agents available which may reduce the severity of the disease.
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