Primary human cytomegalovirus infections: kinetics of ELISA-IgG and neutralizing antibody in pauci/asymptomatic pregnant women vs symptomatic non-pregnant subjects.
BACKGROUND
Human cytomegalovirus infections are mostly asymptomatic in infants and young children, while they are often associated with overt clinical symptoms in adults.


OBJECTIVE
To verify whether the antibody response to HCMV is more potent in symptomatic non-pregnant adults as compared to asymptomatic/paucisymptomatic pregnant women.


METHODS
Overall, 36 consecutive pregnant women with primary HCMV infection were compared with 10 consecutive symptomatic non-pregnant subjects with primary HCMV infection and overt clinical symptoms. Levels of IgG antibody responses to HCMV-infected cell lysate and the pentamer gH/gL/pUL128L, gH/gL and gB HCMV glycoprotein complexes as well as neutralizing antibodies preventing infection of epithelial cells (ARPE-19) and human embryonic lung fibroblast (HELF) cells were compared at intervals of 1-30, 31-60, 61-90, 91-180 and 181-360 days after onset of infection. In parallel, viral load was quantified by real-time PCR.


RESULTS
In symptomatic non-pregnant subjects, the IgG responses to HCMV lysate as well as to gH/gL and ARPE-19 neutralizing antibodies were significantly higher from 31 to 60 through 180 days after infection onset. In the same patients, the IgG antibody responses to the pentamer and HELF-neutralizing antibody were significantly higher starting 90 days post-infection.


CONCLUSIONS
The presence of overt clinical symptoms is associated with a significantly higher antibody response (concomitantly with a higher viral load) in non-pregnant subjects with symptomatic primary HCMV infection as compared to pregnant women with paucisymptomatic/ asymptomatic primary infection (and lower viral load).
Laboratori Sperimentali di Ricerca, Area Trapiantologica, Fondazione Istituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico Policlinico San Matteo, 27100 Pavia, Italy.
Chiara
C
Fornara
Struttura Semplice Virologia Molecolare, Struttura Complessa Microbiologia e Virologia, Fondazione Istituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico Policlinico San Matteo, 27100 Pavia, Italy.
Milena
M
Furione
Laboratori Sperimentali di Ricerca, Area Trapiantologica, Fondazione Istituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico Policlinico San Matteo, 27100 Pavia, Italy.
Daniele
D
Lilleri
Laboratori Sperimentali di Ricerca, Area Trapiantologica, Fondazione Istituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico Policlinico San Matteo, 27100 Pavia, Italy.
Ilaria
I
Cane
Struttura Complessa Ostetricia e Ginecologia, Università degli Studi di Pavia, Istituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico Policlinico San Matteo, 27100 Pavia, Italy.
M Grazia
MG
Revello
Struttura Semplice Virologia Molecolare, Struttura Complessa Microbiologia e Virologia, Fondazione Istituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico Policlinico San Matteo, 27100 Pavia, Italy.
Maurizio
M
Zavattoni
Laboratori Sperimentali di Ricerca, Area Trapiantologica, Fondazione Istituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico Policlinico San Matteo, 27100 Pavia, Italy. Electronic address: g.gerna@smatteo.pv.it.
Giuseppe
G
Gerna
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D057134:Antibodies, Neutralizing / Q000097:blood* / Q000276:immunology; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000097:blood* / Q000276:immunology; D058345:Asymptomatic Infections; D003587:Cytomegalovirus / Q000276:immunology*; D003586:Cytomegalovirus Infections / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000276:immunology* / Q000821:virology; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D006023:Glycoproteins / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology; D007700:Kinetics; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011247:Pregnancy; D011251:Pregnancy Complications, Infectious / Q000276:immunology* / Q000821:virology; D060888:Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction; D019562:Viral Load; D055815:Young Adult
D057134:Antibodies, Neutralizing; D000914:Antibodies, Viral; D006023:Glycoproteins; D007074:Immunoglobulin G
ELISA-IgG antibodies; HCMV glycoprotein complexes; HCMV load; Neutralizing antibodies; Symptomatic/asymptomatic HCMV infections