Cytomegalovirus infection may develop in people who receive infected blood or an infected transplanted organ, such as a kidney. When the cytomegalovirus enters the body, it may or may not cause an active disease. Once in the body, the virus may be dormant for years but become active and cause disease at any time. Between 60 and 90 percent of adults have had a cytomegalovirus infection at some time, although they usually have no symptoms. Symptoms Cytomegalovirus infection before birth may cause a miscarriage, stillbirth, or the death of the newborn.
Death is caused by bleeding, anemia, or extensive liver or brain damage.
The vast majority of people who acquire the infection after birth and harbor the virus have no symptoms. However, a healthy person who is infected may feel ill and have a fever. If a person receives a transfusion of blood containing the cytomegalovirus, symptoms may begin 2 to 4 weeks later. The number of lymphocytes, a type of white blood cell, may increase. Occasionally, a rash develops.