3. Cytomegalovirus (CMV)
What It Is: It’s a virus that’s related to the virus that causes chickenpox, herpes simplex, and mononucleosis. “It spreads from person to person through body fluids, such as blood, saliva, urine, semen, and breast milk,” says Wider. “It also spreads through sexual contact, breastfeeding, organ transplantation, and through the placenta.”
Symptoms: Most people don’t show symptoms. But in acute cases, CMV can cause mono-type symptoms like fever, sore throat, loss of appetite, fatigue, and enlarged lymph nodes.
Treatment: Because it’s a virus, antibiotics don’t work. “The virus is usually self-limited,” says Wider, which means it works its way through your system on its own. “But in severe cases, antiviral drugs have been known to be effective,” she says. Also important to know: Once you get infected with CMV, you retain the virus for life (similar to herpes). That said, it usually remains dormant if you’re healthy.
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