title: Human cytomegalovirus intrahost evolution-a new avenue for understanding and controlling herpesvirus infections.
abstract: Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) is exquisitely adapted to the human host, and much research has focused on its evolution over long timescales spanning millennia. Here, we review recent data exploring the evolution of the virus on much shorter timescales, on the order of days or months. We describe the intrahost genetic diversity of the virus isolated from humans, and how this diversity contributes to HCMV spatiotemporal evolution. We propose mechanisms to explain the high levels of intrahost diversity and discuss how this new information may shed light on HCMV infection and pathogenesis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology and Physiological Systems, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA 01655, USA.
authors.forename: Nicholas
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Renzette
authors.affiliation: Departments of Pediatrics and Medicine, Divisions of Infectious Diseases and Immunology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA 01655, USA.
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Gibson
authors.affiliation: Program in Bioinformatics and Integrative Biology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA 01655, USA; School of Life Sciences, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne 1015, Switzerland; Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics (SIB), Lausanne 1015, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Jeffrey D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Jensen
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology and Physiological Systems, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA 01655, USA; Immunology and Microbiology Program, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA 01655, USA. Electronic address: timothy.kowalik@umassmed.edu.
authors.forename: Timothy F
authors.initials: TF
authors.lastname: Kowalik
mesh_terms: D003587:Cytomegalovirus / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D003586:Cytomegalovirus Infections / Q000821:virology*; D019143:Evolution, Molecular; D014644:Genetic Variation; D006801:Humans; D062211:Spatio-Temporal Analysis