Generality
" Cytomegalovirus positive IgG " is the terminology used by doctors to indicate that IgG immunoglobulins against cytomegalovirus are present in an individual's blood; this serological finding indicates that the patient has contracted cytomegalovirus infection in the past, so much so as to have developed a reassuring immune memory on the occasion of any second exposures.
Brief recall of cytomegalovirus
In healthy people, cytomegalovirus is responsible for asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic infections, spontaneous resolution and without long-term consequences. For these characteristics, the cytomegalovirus could be of little interest from the medical-clinical point of view, if it were not that it is capable of:
- "Hiding" in human bone marrow cells (example of viral latency ), only to be reactivated in the event of a generalized reduction of the immune system
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- Cause serious consequences, as soon as it is infected
- people with inefficient immune systems, such as AIDS patients or organ transplants,
- pregnant women (NB: if in the first case the serious consequences directly affect the infected person, in the second case they are at the expense of the future unborn child).
What IgG means positive
"Cytomegalovirus positive IgG" is the way in which doctors indicate the presence, in an individual's blood, of IgG-type antibodies against cytomegalovirus.
From the diagnostic point of view, the discovery of IgG antibodies against cytomegalovirus in the blood means that the affected person has contracted the infection in the past and has developed a specific immunity against the aforementioned herpes virus.
In practical terms, the presence of a specific immunity against cytomegalovirus implies the impossibility (clearly for the person who developed the aforementioned immunity) to re-contract a primary cytomegalovirus infection.
IgG is the "memory" of infection
IgG - that is immunoglobulins G - are the antibodies that a human being produces after exposure to a certain infectious agent, in memory of the latter; their presence will allow them to know how to contrast it appropriately during a second eventual exposure (secondary infection).
In other words, IgG are the antibodies used to preserve the memory of a past infection, in such a way as to avoid a relapse from the same connotations of the first exposure.
In general, the time required for the human immune system to produce IgG against a certain infectious agent is 1-2 weeks .
IgGs are also the antibodies produced during vaccines .
This is not surprising, considering that vaccinations consist of the inoculation of important portions of an infectious agent, with the intention of stimulating the immune system to produce an antibody barrier (the IgG precisely) against the aforementioned infecting agent .
When is it important to know to be cytomegalovirus IgG positive?
In light of the danger of a cytomegalovirus infection in pregnancy, knowing that you are a positive cytomegalovirus IgG is particularly important for women who want a child.
In fact, IgG positivity against cytomegalovirus indicates that the virus in question no longer represents a serious threat on the occasion of a possible pregnancy, as the immunity that has formed is an indirect protection for the fetus.
At this point, it is worth remembering what the negativity of an IgG evaluation test against Cytomegalovirus entails and what positivity results in an antibody assessment very similar to the previous one, which however quantifies the so-called IgM or immunoglobulin M:
- Meaning of cytomegalovirus negative IgG : who is a negative cytomegalovirus IgG is an individual who has never had cytomegalovirus infection in the past.
However, the fact of being a negative cytomegalovirus IgG does not exclude that a cytomegalovirus infection is in progress.
- Significance of Cytomegalovirus IgM positive : who is a positive Citomegalovirus IgM is an individual who is facing an infection with Cytomegalovirus at the time of antibody evaluation or who has faced it very little time before (less than a week or so).
After all, IgM are the antibodies that human beings produce when they meet a new infectious agent or, if you prefer, on the first meeting with a given infectious agent.
In the table below, readers can consult all the possible implications of the two antibody evaluations mentioned above, in relation to the Cytomegalovirus, thus realizing when a certain situation is dangerous during a pregnancy and when it is not. It is important to underline that, for a woman wishing to have a child, knowledge of both antibody profiles is fundamental, therefore both IgG and IgM.
| Results of antibody assessments | Interpretation with a view to a possible pregnancy |
Negative IgM Negative IgG | It means that the examined woman has never had cytomegalovirus infection. Therefore, this subject must pay particular attention to certain hygiene rules and avoid all situations that expose to cytomegalovirus infection (see details). |
Negative IgM Positive IgG | It means that the examined woman has in the past contracted cytomegalovirus infection and that this infection is not ongoing at the time of antibody assessments. For a woman desiring a child, the one described above is the most reassuring situation. |
Positive IgM Negative IgG | It means that the examined woman had never had cytomegalovirus infection in the past and that she is facing it at the time of antibody assessments (or faced it very shortly before). Very rare eventuality, the one just described strongly advises against the search for a pregnancy, at least until the presence of IgG is certain (for the production of these a couple of weeks must elapse since the IgM were found). |
Positive IgM Positive IgG | It means that the examined woman has a cytomegalovirus infection in a fairly recent past. This conclusion depends on the fact that the IgM, produced during an infection, disappear within 3-4 months. The situation described above is a dubious circumstance, which deserves in-depth analysis aimed at understanding the real risk, during a pregnancy. |
To learn more: Cytomegalovirus and pregnancy
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To determine whether or not an individual can be labeled as a "positive cytomegalovirus IgG", recourse to a simple blood test is sufficient, followed by an analysis of the antibody profile of the latter, relative to the cytomegalovirus.
Therefore, the search for IgG positivity against cytomegalovirus is a fast, painless and non-invasive practice.
