Lcmv Pregnancy Symptoms
Lymphocytic choriomeningitis lcm is a rodent borne viral infectious disease that presents as aseptic meningitis encephalitis or meningoencephalitis its causative agent is lymphocytic choriomeningitis mammarenavirus lcmv a member of the family arenaviridae the name was coined by charles armstrong in 1934.
Lcmv pregnancy symptoms. The chance of pregnancy loss is higher with lcmv infections in the first trimester than with infections later in pregnancy. Additionally pregnancy related infection has been associated with congenital hydrocephalus chorioretinitis and mental retardation. Cmv is similar to the herpes virus that causes cold sores and chickenpox. For infected persons who do become ill onset of symptoms usually occurs 8 13 days after exposure to the virus as part of a biphasic febrile illness.
The case reports of congenital lcmv demonstrate that acquisition of the virus during pregnancy can severely disrupt brain development 12 13 14. Lcmv is most commonly recognized as causing neurological disease as its name implies though infection without symptoms or mild febrile illnesses are more common clinical manifestations. Lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus lcmv is a single stranded rna virus that belongs to the family arenaviridae so named because of its appearance on electron microscopy which resembles grains of sand. Once a person becomes infected the virus remains alive but usually dormant within that person s.
For others lcmv causes flu like symptoms fever muscle aches fatigue nausea and vomiting that start 1 2 weeks after being exposed to the virus. These symptoms can last as long as a week. In every pregnancy a woman starts out with a 3 5 chance of having a baby with a birth defect. Cytomegalovirus cmv infection is a virus that can be transmitted to a developing child before birth.
For most healthy people who acquire cmv after birth there are few symptoms and no long term health consequences. Of lcmv antibodies in human populations range from 2 to 5. This is called her background risk. Lymphocytic choriomeningitis lcm is a viral infection of the membranes.
Other members of this family include lassa virus and the tacaribe group. Once you have the virus it stays in your body for the rest of your life. What are the symptoms of lcmv. Lcmv is most typically acknowledged as causing neurological disease as its name suggests though infection without symptoms or mild febrile health problems are more typical medical symptoms.
Cytomegalovirus cmv infection is usually harmless and rarely causes illness. For infected persons who do become ill beginning of symptoms generally happens 8 13 days after exposure to the infection as part of a biphasic febrile disease. Sometimes it causes problems in babies if you catch it during pregnancy congenital cmv. However because no epidemiological studies have been conducted it is unknown whether the severely affected infants described in the case reports represent the typical outcome of gestational lcmv infection or whether they are the most severely.
Cytomegalovirus cmv is a common virus that is usually harmless.