title: Natural and adoptive T-cell immunity against herpes family viruses after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.
abstract: Reactivated infections with herpes family-related cytomegalovirus, Epstein-Barr virus and varicella zoster virus are serious and sometimes life-threatening complications for patients undergoing allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. The pathogenesis of these infections critically involves the slow and inefficient recovery of antiviral T-cell immunity after transplantation. Although efficient drugs to decrease viral load during this vulnerable period have been developed, long-term control of herpes viruses and protection from associated diseases require the sufficient reconstitution of virus-specific memory T cells. To heal the deficiency by immunotherapeutic means, numerous research groups have developed antiviral vaccines and strategies based on the adoptive transfer of virus-specific T cells. This article summarizes the substantial progress made in this field during the past two decades and gives future perspectives about challenges that need to be addressed before antigen-specific immunotherapy against herpes family viruses can be implemented in general clinical practice.
authors.affiliation: Third Department of Medicine, University Medical Center of Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Langenbeckstrasse 1, 55101 Mainz, Germany. thomass@uni-mainz.de
authors.forename: Simone
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Thomas
authors.forename: Wolfgang
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Herr
mesh_terms: D056704:Adaptive Immunity / Q000276:immunology*; D000818:Animals; D018380:Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation / Q000009:adverse effects*; D006566:Herpesviridae Infections / Q000209:etiology / Q000276:immunology* / Q000517:prevention & control; D006801:Humans; D007113:Immunity, Innate / Q000276:immunology*; D007114:Immunization / Q000379:methods; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*