Everything you need to know about Cytomegalovirus affecting those who recovered from Covid-19

New Delhi's Sri Ganga Ram Hospital has reported cases of a new virus - Cytomegalovirus. The hospital in a statement to the media said that this has affected more than five people and has even caused one fatality. As per the hospital, this is diagnosed in patients 20-30 days after they test positive for Covid-19.

Here is everything you need to know about the virus.

What is Cytomegalovirus?

As per the National Health Service (NHS) of the UK, Cytomegalovirus or CMV is related to the herpes virus that causes cold sores and chickenpox. Once contracted, the virus stays in your body lifelong.

Also Read | Covid-19: Five patients at Ganga Ram Hospital in Delhi suffer rectal bleeding due to CMV infection, one dies

Most immunocompetent people remain asymptomatic as the immune system controls it and one would not even realise that they have been infected with the virus. However, it can cause serious complications in those who are immunocompromised.

CMV is a double-stranded DNA virus and a member of the human herpes virus family. It is a common viral infection in 50 per cent to 100 per cent of humans worldwide, depending on the age and race of the population tested, Dr Vipulroy Rathod, senior gastroenterologist, Bhatia Hospital Mumbai, told Indian Express

Symptoms of CMV

As per CDC, and the NHS, the most common symptoms of CMV are fever, sore throat, aching muscles or fatigue, swollen glands, and skin rash.

According to CDC, immunocompromised people who get CMV can also have more serious symptoms affecting the eyes, lungs, liver, oesophaguses, stomach, and intestines. But for those with a healthy immune system, these symptoms can disappear without treatment in three weeks.

According to Prof Anil Arora, chairman of the Institute of Liver Gastroenterology and Pancreaticobiliary Sciences at the hospital, "During the second wave of the pandemic, in April-May, we have seen five cases of CMV infection in otherwise immunocompetent patients with Covid-19."

These patients presented with pain in the abdomen and bleeding during stool discharge. None of them had other predisposing immunosuppressed states accounting for this viral infection, he said.

The Covid infection itself and the medicines used for its treatment (like steroids) do suppress the immunity of patients and make them susceptible for uncommon infections with varied presentations, the hospital said in a statement.

How is CMV transmitted?

As a transmissible disease CMV is spread to others when they come in contact with someone who has the disease. This can be spread through sexual contact or bodily fluids, such as urine, blood, saliva, tears, and faeces.

Pregnant women who contract CMV can have children who are born with it, which is known as congenital CMV as per the NHS.

How can CMV be treated?

The virus has no treatment per se. It can be treated through antiviral medication, which will suppress the virus, but it will not fully take it out of the system. As mentioned earlier, once it enters your system it stays lifelong.

“It is observed in few instances of Covid-19 infected patients, and the reason could be that these patients are on steroid therapy or are immunocompromised. Underlying chronic inflammatory bowel disease such as ulcerative colitis too can be a predisposing factor,” Dr Rathod told Indian Express.

He further added that the majority of patients with CMV colitis who are immunocompetent may need no treatment with antiviral medications; because of the severity of side-effects of antiviral drugs such as ganciclovir, there is no evidence that treatment with antiviral medications in these patients will make significant differences in patient outcomes.