PetriKey

Virus

Cytomegalovirus

Herpesvirus with owl-eye inclusion clue

sye-toh-MEG-uh-loh-vy-rus

virusdnaenvelopedherpesviruslatencycongenital

High-yield clue

Herpesvirus + owl-eye inclusion vocabulary + congenital/opportunistic clues.

Overview

CMV is used to teach enveloped double-stranded DNA herpesvirus traits, latency, congenital infection vocabulary, and owl-eye inclusion imagery.

Classification

  • Enveloped virus
  • Double-stranded DNA
  • Herpesvirus

Lab & identification clues

  • PCR viral-load vocabulary
  • Serology concept
  • Owl-eye inclusion teaching image

Associations

  • Congenital infection vocabulary
  • Mononucleosis-like illness contrast
  • Opportunistic retinitis/colitis terms

Commonly confused with

  • Epstein-Barr virus
  • Herpes simplex virus
  • Toxoplasma gondii

Your notes

Original student-study summary. Sources checked: OpenStax Microbiology 2e, NCBI Bookshelf Medical Microbiology, and CDC topic pages where applicable; reviewed 2026-06. Educational only; no diagnosis, treatment, dosing, or specimen-handling guidance.

OpenStax: Microbiology 2e organism classification foundationssourceNCBI Bookshelf: Medical Microbiology organism chapterssourceCDC: CDC disease and public-health topic pagessource