The symptoms of CMV infection are similar to those of mononucleosis. In fact, in a small percentage of people with mononucleosis, CMV is the cause. The symptoms of primary CMV infection are:

• Fatigue
• General discomfort, uneasiness, or ill feeling (malaise)
• Joint stiffness
• Loss of appetite
• Muscle aches or joint pain
• Night sweats
• Prolonged fever
• Sore throat
• Swelling of the lymph nodes
• Weakness
• Weight loss

In immunocompromised people, CMV can attack specific organs. The major symptoms of these organ-specific infections are:

Eye:

• Blindness
• Floaters in the eye
• Visual impairment

Lung:

• Pneumonia with impaired oxygen uptake (hypoxia)

Gastrointestinal:

• Diarrhea
• Swallowing difficulties or pain
• Ulcerations with bleeding

Brain:

• Coma
• Encephalitis with behavioral changes
• Seizures

Blood and urine tests can detect and measure substances specific to CMV. A tissue biopsy is often required to be certain of the diagnosis (except in the eye or nervous system).