title: Antiviral CD8 T cells in the control of primary human cytomegalovirus infection in early childhood.
abstract: Human cytomegalovirus (CMV) establishes persistent infection, with control of replication thought to be mediated by CMV-specific CD8 T cells. Primary CMV infection commonly affects young children and causes prolonged viral shedding in saliva and urine. We investigated whether this virus-host interaction pattern reflects a developmental deficiency of antiviral CD8 T cell-mediated immunity during childhood. CMV-specific CD8 T cell responses in asymptomatic children with active infection were not different from adults with recent or long-term infection in frequency and functional analyses. High urine CMV concentrations were detected, despite these CMV-specific CD8 T cell responses. We conclude that delayed resolution of primary CMV infection in young children is not caused by a deficient CMV-specific CD8 T cell response. Because these healthy children continue to have local CMV replication, we suggest that CD8 T cells may function primarily to prevent symptomatic, disseminated disease.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California 94305, USA.
authors.forename: Sharon F
authors.initials: SF
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Wen-Wei
authors.initials: WW
authors.lastname: Tu
authors.forename: Margaret A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Sharp
authors.forename: Eileen Cordoba
authors.initials: EC
authors.lastname: Tongson
authors.forename: Xiao-Song
authors.initials: XS
authors.lastname: He
authors.forename: Harry B
authors.initials: HB
authors.lastname: Greenberg
authors.forename: Tyson H
authors.initials: TH
authors.lastname: Holmes
authors.forename: Zhaoti
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: George
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Kemble
authors.forename: Anne-Marie
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Manganello
authors.forename: Stuart P
authors.initials: SP
authors.lastname: Adler
authors.forename: Cornelia L
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Dekker
authors.forename: David B
authors.initials: DB
authors.lastname: Lewis
authors.forename: Ann M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Arvin
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000375:Aging / Q000276:immunology*; D018414:CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003587:Cytomegalovirus / Q000276:immunology* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D003586:Cytomegalovirus Infections / Q000276:immunology* / Q000821:virology; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007371:Interferon-gamma / Q000096:biosynthesis; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation; D014556:Urine / Q000821:virology
chemical_list: D007371:Interferon-gamma