Fighting cytomegalovirus-caused diseases: the immunologic approach

Excerpt

The infection with human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) is spread worldwide and mostly harmless for immunocompetent individuals. However, it is threatening for individuals whose immune system is still immature (e.g. newborns), immunocompromised (e.g. AIDS or tumour patients) or physiologically or therapeutically immunosuppressed (e.g. pregnancy, patients with organ transplantation). The CMV infection, once acquired, gets persistent as proviral latent infection or as low-level chronic infection. Fighting CMV infection or reactivation has focused on rapid viral diagnosis, antiviral therapy and careful monitoring. However, throughout the whole microbiology, chemotherapy is increasingly restricted by development of resistances. Thus, fighting infectious diseases, the immunologic approach is of increasing relevance. Last year, this journal has launched two special issues on this topic [1, 2]. Concerning research on CMV and other persistent infections, two previous special issues have been continued [3, 4]. …