Mouse thymic virus (TA) is a herpesvirus which produces extensive necrosis of the thymus of newborn mice 7 to 14 days after infection. Infectious virus can be recovered from the thymus for only 10 days after infection, with highest titers occurring between days 5 and 7. In mice 5 days old or less, TA infects thymus cells and produces massive necrosis. TA also infects the salivary glands and per...

Glycoprotein B (gB) of human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) is the dominating protein in the envelope of this virus and gives rise to virus-neutralizing antibodies in most infected individuals. We have previously isolated a neutralizing human antibody specific for antigenic domain 2 (AD-2) on gB, a poorly immunogenic epitope, which nevertheless is capable of eliciting potent neutralizing antibodies. In...

Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) infection is transmitted from the infected mother to the placenta and fetus. Virus replicates in the decidua, invasive cytotrophoblasts that breach the uterine vasculature and villous cytotrophoblasts underlying syncytiotrophoblasts, then reaches blood vessels in the villus core. Virus replication, fibrosis, and edema result in a hypoxic intrauterine environment and...

Human CMV (HCMV) infection promotes a variable and persistent expansion of functionally mature NKG2C bright NK cells. We analyzed NKG2C bright NK cell responses triggered by Abs from HCMV + sera against HCMV-infected MRC5 fibroblasts. Specific Abs promoted the degranulation (i.e., CD107a expression) and the production of cytokines (TNF-a and IFN-g) by a significant fraction of NK cells, exceedi...