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Encyclopedia of Gerontology and Population Aging pp 1–9Cite as

Cytomegalovirus and Human Immune System Aging

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Definition

Cytomegalovirus (CMV) is a persistent viral infection that is present in most older people. Effective control of infection depends on a strong and sustained virus-specific immune response, and there is concern that this can weaken the ability to control other infections and may lead to immunopathology. Epidemiological studies have shown that infection does increase mortality risk in some populations, but this has not been seen consistently. We now need to understand the biological basis of these conflicting findings and to develop treatment approaches for older people at risk.

Overview

Cytomegalovirus is a member of the herpesvirus family, and chronic infection is widely prevalent in the human population (Reddehase 2006). Infection can be a major clinical problem for the fetus or in patients who are immunosuppressed, and there is now concern that it may also cause health problems in apparently healthy older people. In particular, a strong and sustained immune response is...

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Immunology and Immunotherapy, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, West Midlands, UK

    Paul Moss

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  1. Paul Moss
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Correspondence to Paul Moss .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Population Division, UN Dept of Economic Social Affairs Population Division, New York, NY, USA

    Danan Gu

  2. Department of Population Health Sciences, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, USA

    Matthew E. Dupre

Section Editor information

  1. Department of Immunology, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany

    Graham Pawelec

  2. Health Sciences North Research Institute, Sudbury, ON, Canada

    Graham Pawelec

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Moss, P. (2020). Cytomegalovirus and Human Immune System Aging. In: Gu, D., Dupre, M. (eds) Encyclopedia of Gerontology and Population Aging. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-69892-2_349-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-69892-2_349-1

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-69892-2

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-69892-2

  • eBook Packages: Springer Reference Biomedicine and Life SciencesReference Module Biomedical and Life Sciences

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