title: Antibodies are not essential for the resolution of primary cytomegalovirus infection but limit dissemination of recurrent virus.
abstract: Virus shedding from the epithelial cells of the serous acini of salivary glands is a major source for the horizontal transmission of cytomegalovirus. These cells are, different to other tissues, exempt from CD8 T lymphocyte control. CD4 T lymphocytes are essential to terminate the productive infection. Here, we prove that T-B cooperation and the production of antibodies are not required for this process. For the infection with murine cytomegalovirus, mutant mice were used which do not produce antibodies because of a disrupted membrane exon of the immunoglobulin mu chain gene. Also, in these mice the virus clearance from salivary glands is a function of CD4 T lymphocytes. However, these mice clear the virus and establish viral latency with a kinetics that is distinguishable from normal mice. Reactivation from virus latency is the only stage at which the absence of antibodies alters the phenotype of infection. In immunoglobulin-deficient mice, virus recurrence results in higher virus titers. The adoptive serum transfer proved that antibody is the limited factor that prevents virus dissemination in the immunodeficient host.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology and Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Rijeka, Croatia.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Jonjić
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Pavić
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Polić
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Crnković
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Lucin
authors.forename: U H
authors.initials: UH
authors.lastname: Koszinowski
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000276:immunology*; D003587:Cytomegalovirus / Q000276:immunology* / Q000502:physiology; D003586:Cytomegalovirus Infections / Q000276:immunology* / Q000635:transmission; D005260:Female; D007165:Immunosuppression Therapy; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D012008:Recurrence; D014779:Virus Replication / Q000276:immunology; D017201:Virus Shedding
chemical_list: D000914:Antibodies, Viral