engleski

Antiviral antibodies reduce the cytomegalovirus infection of the brain

PROBLEM: Congenital cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection is among the leading causes of brain disease in infants and the most common non-familial cause of hearing loss in developed countries. Small animal models in adult hosts have recapitulated many of the features of human CMV infection with the exception of brain infection. We have established a model of murine CMV (MCMV) brain infection in newborn mice. We used this model to study the feasibility of antiviral antibodies as a therapy means of CMV infection of the brain. METHOD OF STUDY: Newborn mice have been infected intraperitonealy (IP) with various doses of MCMV. Anti-CMV antisera were IP inoculated at different time points following infection and mice were sacrificed on days 7, 11, 14 and 21 after infection. Control mice received the same amount of non-immune sera or no serum at all. The viral presence in the brain has been analysed by plaque assay on murine embrional fibroblasts and immunohistochemistry. RESULTS: Mice treated with antisera consistently showed lower virus titres as compared to control mice. Consistently with that the histological examination showed reduced local inflammatory changes in mice treated with anti-CMV sera. CONCLUSION: Our results indicate that antiviral antibodies can both prevent the CMV spread to the brain and reduce the infection upon it has been established in the brain. Thus, passive antibody transfer to the host may prove as a valuable therapeutics in the congenital CMV infection.

MCMV ; antibodies ; brain

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