Search results for " CYTOMEGALOVIRUS INFECTION"
showing 10 items of 109 documents
Reconstitution of lymphocyte populations and cytomegalovirus viremia or disease after allogeneic peripheral blood stem cell transplantation
2003
Early reconstitution of lymphoid populations was monitored by immunophenotyping in 57 allogeneic peripheral blood stem cell (allo-PBSC) transplant patients either with or without cytomegalovirus (CMV) viremia or disease. Cell counts for total lymphocytes and CD4(+) T cells above the percentile 60th at day 14 postransplant were associated significantly with CMV viremia-free survival within 120 days after transplant. Recovery of total lymphocyte, CD3(+), and CD8(+) T-cell counts proceeded at a more rapid rate in CMV viremic patients than in nonviremic patients, irrespective of whether preemptive treatment with ganciclovir had been prescribed. Significant expansion of CD8(+) and CD8(+) CD57(+)…
Polyethylenimine is a strong inhibitor of human papillomavirus and cytomegalovirus infection.
2012
ABSTRACT Polyethylenimines are cationic polymers with potential as delivery vectors in gene therapy and with proven antimicrobial activity. However, the antiviral activity of polyethylenimines has not been addressed in detail thus far. We have studied the inhibitory effects of a linear 25-kDa polyethylenimine on infections with human papillomaviruses and human cytomegaloviruses. Preincubation of cells with polyethylenimine blocked primary attachment of both viruses to cells, resulting in a significant reduction of infection. In addition, the dissemination of human cytomegalovirus in culture cells was efficiently reduced by recurrent administration of polyethylenimine. Polyethylenimine conce…
Subviral Dense Bodies of Human Cytomegalovirus Stimulate Maturation and Activation of Monocyte-Derived Immature Dendritic Cells
2013
ABSTRACT Dendritic cells play a central role in the immune control of human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) infection. This work aimed at investigating the impact of noninfectious, subviral dense bodies of HCMV on the maturation and activation of dendritic cells (DC). Treatment of immature DC with dense bodies led to the maturation of these cells and significantly increased their capacity for cytokine release and antigen presentation. Dense body-activated DC may thereby contribute to the development of antiviral immunity.
Shedding light on the elusive role of endothelial cells in cytomegalovirus dissemination.
2011
Cytomegalovirus (CMV) is frequently transmitted by solid organ transplantation and is associated with graft failure. By forming the boundary between circulation and organ parenchyma, endothelial cells (EC) are suited for bidirectional virus spread from and to the transplant. We applied Cre/loxP-mediated green-fluorescence-tagging of EC-derived murine CMV (MCMV) to quantify the role of infected EC in transplantation-associated CMV dissemination in the mouse model. Both EC- and non-EC-derived virus originating from infected Tie2-cre + heart and kidney transplants were readily transmitted to MCMV-naïve recipients by primary viremia. In contrast, when a Tie2-cre + transplant was infected by pri…
The immunogenicity of human and murine cytomegaloviruses.
2000
Cytomegaloviruses are strictly host-species-specific. During an aeon of co-evolution, virus and host have found an arrangement: the productive and cytopathogenic cycle of viral gene expression is held in check by the host's immune response. As a consequence, cytomegalovirus disease is restricted to the immunocompromised host. The virus has evolved strategies to avoid its elimination and eventually hides itself in a silent state, referred to as 'viral latency'. Redundant molecular mechanisms have been identified by which cytomegaloviruses interfere with antigen presentation pathways to 'evade' immune control. In the annual period covered by this review, the IE1 protein was revisited as an im…
Cell types infected in human cytomegalovirus placentitis identified by immunohistochemical double staining
1993
Chronic villitis is almost always present in intrauterine infection with human cytomegalovirus (HCMV). The inflammatory response to this virus has been described in detail. However, little is known about the types of placental cells that may be infected by HCMV and six cases of HCMV placentitis were thus investigated to identify the vulnerable cell types. Immunohistochemical double staining analyses were performed using antibodies to HCMV immediate early antigens and to specific cellular marker proteins. Fixed connective tissue cells could be demonstrated to be the predominantly infected cell type in each placental tissue. Endothelial cells and macrophages were also found to be infected in …
Protein delivery by subviral particles of human cytomegalovirus
2003
Direct protein delivery is an emerging technology in vaccine development and gene therapy. We could previously show that subviral dense bodies (DB) of human cytomegalovirus (HCMV), a beta-herpesvirus, transport viral proteins into target cells by membrane fusion. Thus these non-infectious particles provide a candidate delivery system for the prophylactic and therapeutic application of proteins. Here we provide proof of principle that DB can be modified genetically. A 55 kDa fusion protein consisting of the green fluorescent protein and the neomycin phosphotransferase could be packed in and delivered into cells by recombinant DB in a functional fashion. Furthermore, transfer of protein into …
Human cytomegalovirus glycoprotein B genotypes in immunocompetent, immunocompromised, and congenitally infected Italian populations
2003
Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) strains, obtained from immunocompetent and immunocompromised Italian hosts, were typed with glycoprotein B (gB) gene restriction analysis. A predominant circulation of HCMV strains with gB type 2 and 3 was detected in both the immunocompetent host with a primary HCMV infection and the immunocompromised host with or without HCMV disease. No association between gB types and subjects with different risks of developing HCMV disease was found. All four gB genotypes were capable of causing congenital infection in Italian babies, with gB type 1 accounting for 50% of the strains examined in symptomatic infants and a remarkable incidence of gB type 4 viruses.
Longitudinal analysis of human cytomegalovirus glycoprotein B (gB)-specific and neutralizing antibodies in AIDS patients either with or without cytom…
2001
Serum neutralizing and glycoprotein B (gB)-specific antibody levels were monitored prospectively in AIDS patients who either did or did not develop human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) end-organ disease, to delineate further the role of antibodies in protecting against HCMV disease. Antibody levels declined substantially (at least 4-fold) only in patients who developed HCMV disease; this decline in turn occurred concurrently with antigenemia. Nevertheless, AIDS patients who remained free of HCMV disease and did not become antigenemic during the follow-up period maintained stable levels of serum antibodies, with only minor fluctuations. The impact of HAART on the levels of functional anti-HCMV antib…