This virus is a member of the Herpes family. It has gained noteriety as an important pathogen in immunocompromised patients, particulary AIDS patients.
Subclinical infections are common amongst the general population.
It is only when a patient's immune system is damaged and diminished that clinical infections may occur. CMV may attack any organ in the body. AIDS patients are particularly prone to CMV retinitis which can lead to blindness. Other common manifestations of the disease include a colitis, esophagitis, myelitis, encephalopathy, and pneumonitis. Setting Departments of Dermatology, Pathology, and Microbiology at a university hospital in Madrid, Spain.