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Most recent testing for CMV IgG and IgM has been negative (titers not available in Australia), but I've just found a positive test from a different lab at around the exact time my health started to collapsed.
Shouldn't this have stayed positive?
If you've had CMV in the past (common childhood illness), your IgG will remain positive throughout life. A positive IgM result means you have an active infection. CMV Avidity tests for newly infected.
However, those of English decent generally don't get CMV, regardless if they live in another country (I fall into this category).
Most government labs in Australia test for it (generally automated/analyser and quantitative).
Hi hixxy, snap, when I first got sick my IgG for CMV was positive, eight months later negative no sign of past or present infection, which according to the literature is scientifically impossible! Possible explanations are the positive result is a lab error, some as yet unidentified cause has stopped the immune system producing IgG, or another possibility which I have had ruled out, but I don’t know if you have is that Lupus can cause false positive CMV IgG results see http://www.pathology.uci.edu/PathologyServicesManual/..%5CPathology%20Service%20Manual%5CCYTOMEGALOVIRUS%20(CMV)%20ANTIBODIES,%20IgG%20&%20IgM,%20SERUM.htm if you haven’t had lupus ruled out good information on diagnosing it can be found here http://www.lupuscanada.org/english/living/1000faces_sle1.html EBV can give false positives for CMV IgM so if a patient has had a past CMV infection giving them a positive IgG a EBV infection can give them a false positive IgM which makes it look like they have CMV, having lupus and EBV can also give the same false positive results.
All the best
Many ME patients I know in the UK have positive IgG for CMV (and many healthy English people I know). What is the evidence that it is rare in those of English descent?
Jenny