Human Cytomegalovirus (HCMV) Nucleic Acid

Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) is a member with the largest genome in the herpes virus family and can encode more than 200 proteins. HCMV is narrowly restricted in its host range to humans, and there is still no animal model of its infection. HCMV has a slow and long replication cycle to form an intranuclear inclusion body, and trigger the production of perinuclear and cytoplasmic inclusion bodies and cell swelling (giant cells), hence the name. According to the heterogeneity of its genome and phenotype, HCMV can be divided into a variety of strains, among which there are certain antigenic variations, which, however, are of no clinical significance.

HCMV infection is a systemic infection, which clinically involves multiple organs, has complex and diverse symptoms, is mostly silent, and can cause a few patients to develop multiple-organ lesions including retinitis, hepatitis, pneumonia, encephalitis, colitis, monocytosis, and thrombocytopenic purpura. HCMV infection is very common and appears to spread worldwide. It is highly prevalent in the population, with incidence rates of 45-50% and more than 90% in developed and developing countries, respectively. HCMV can lay dormant in the body for a long time. Once the body's immunity is weakened, the virus will be activated to cause diseases, especially recurrent infections in leukemia patients and transplant patients, and can cause transplanted organ necrosis and endanger the life of patients in severe cases. In addition to stillbirth, miscarriage and premature delivery via intrauterine infection, cytomegalovirus can also cause congenital malformations, so HCMV infection is able to affect prenatal and postnatal care and population quality.