Immunopathology of CMV Co-Infection: Review

CMV is a common complex viral infection that affects patients at all ages, especially newborns.It causes a lifelong infection with a frequency of approximately 80% of the population will become infected by age 40.Most CMV infection is silent infection (no symptoms), however, in immunocompromised individuals, a symptomatic infection persists with few medical treatments or vaccine currently available.Co-infection of CMV with other viruses had drawn much attention in the last decade, as diagnostic methodologies became more reliable, and many cases have been reported.The long-term relationships between immune responses, viral load, and most importantly, disease progression in those who are persistently infected with CMV are still poorly understood.This review will summarize the current knowledge of the immunopathological features of different CMV co-infections and highlight the importance of considering CMV co-infection in the patient treatment and management.