Is human cytomegalovirus DNA or RNA?

Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) is classified as a DNA herpesvirus. A recent study showed that the HCMV virion contains not only DNA, but also four species of mRNA, indicating that this virus is more complex than previously believed.

What causes human cytomegalovirus?

Touching your eyes or the inside of your nose or mouth after coming into contact with the body fluids of an infected person. Sexual contact with an infected person. The breast milk of an infected mother. Organ, bone marrow or stem cell transplantation or blood transfusions.

How is human cytomegalovirus transmitted?

Although the virus is not highly communicable, it can be spread from person to person by direct contact. The virus is shed in the urine, saliva, semen and to a lesser extent in other body fluids. Transmission can also occur from an infected mother to her fetus or newborn and by blood transfusion and organ transplants.

What genome does human cytomegalovirus have?

Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV; species Human herpesvirus 5) has the largest genome of any known human virus, at 236 kbp in size (Dolan et al., 2004). The genome is a linear, double-stranded DNA molecule consisting of two unique regions, each flanked by inverted repeats.

What type of virus is cytomegalovirus?

CMV is a type of herpesvirus. Eight different herpesviruses infect people: Three herpesviruses—herpes simplex virus type 1, herpes simplex virus type 2, and varicella-zoster… read more (herpesvirus type 5). Blood tests show that 60 to 90% of adults have had a CMV infection at some time.

What are the symptoms of cytomegalovirus?

If you have symptoms of primary CMV, they’re mild and include: Fatigue. Swollen glands. Fever….Symptoms of congenital CMV

• Premature delivery.
• Small size or low birth weight.
• Bruise-like rashes.
• Yellow skin or eyes (jaundice)
• Swollen liver and spleen.
• Small head (microcephaly)
• Seizures.
• Hearing loss.

How do I know if I have CMV?

Blood tests can be used to diagnose CMV infection in adults who have symptoms. However, blood is not the best fluid to test newborns with suspected CMV infection. Tests of saliva or urine are preferred for newborns. Healthy people who are infected with CMV usually do not require medical treatment.

What is the role of glycoprotein B in the pathogenesis of HCMV infection?

HCMV glycoprotein B (gB) transitions irreversibly from a metastable prefusion to a stable postfusion conformation to fuse the viral envelope with a host cell membrane during entry.

What is the pathophysiology of human cytomegalovirus (HCMV)?

Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) causes congenital disease with long-term morbidity. HCMV glycoprotein B (gB) transitions irreversibly from a metastable prefusion to a stable postfusion conformation to fuse the viral envelope with a host cell membrane during entry.

What is the postfusion conformation of HCMV glycoprotein B?

HCMV glycoprotein B (gB) transitions irreversibly from a metastable prefusion to a stable postfusion conformation to fuse the viral envelope with a host cell membrane during entry. We stabilized prefusion gB on the viri …

Is caspase activated by human cytomegalovirus-induced DNA damage response?

Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV), like many other DNA viruses, can cause genome instability and activate a DNA damage response (DDR). Activation of ataxia-telangiectasia mutated (ATM), a kinase activated by DNA breaks, is a hallmark of the HCMV-induced DDR. Here we investigated the activation of caspase …