# Blood donation - CMV neg question **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 11, 2003, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blood-donation-cmv-neg-question/206778 "2003-10-11T01:28:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 3\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Race\_Bannon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/5f8ce5/32.png) [@Race\_Bannon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Race_Bannon)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2003, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blood-donation-cmv-neg-question/206778/1 "2003-10-11T01:28:53Z")
I donate blood frequently, and lately have been donating platelets (apheresis). The Red Cross has me on their speed dial, apparently because I have “CMV negative” blood. From what I understand, that means my blood does not have a common virus that is generally harmless in most people, but means a lot to babies and people with immune deficiency problems. I presume that means that I have never been exposed to this virus. I’m 44 years old - does that mean I’m just lucky, or is something else happening here? The real GQ here is - can this ever change for me? That is, could I “catch” CMV at some time in the future, and then forevermore not have this special blood feature? ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2003, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blood-donation-cmv-neg-question/206778/2 "2003-10-11T02:04:29Z")
According to the [Mayo Clinic’s](http://www.mayoclinic.com/) website, you could quite likely catch it, though not through any very casual method: > [@](#): > > This common herpes virus is transmitted in body fluids such as saliva, blood, urine, semen and breast milk. At least half the adult population has been infected. But a healthy immune system inactivates the virus, and it remains dormant in your body. If your immune system weakens, the virus resurfaces, causing damage to your eyes, digestive tract, lungs or other organs. Most commonly, CMV causes infection and inflammation of your retina (CMV retinitis). If not treated, CMV retinitis can lead to blindness. ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2003, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blood-donation-cmv-neg-question/206778/3 "2003-10-11T02:05:37Z")
Oh, and I didn’t note that CMV = cytomegalovirus.