The Journal of Medical Microbiology, Vol 48, Issue 10 947-954, Copyright © 1999 by Society for General Microbiology
Functional antibody response to human cytomegalovirus in immunocompetent and HIV-1 infected individuals with antibodies that inhibit virus penetration into cells and intercellular transmission of viral infection
J. Alberola, A. Tamarit and D. Navarro
Department of Microbiology, School of Medicine, University of Valencia, Spain.
Antibodies mediating post-attachment virus neutralisation (PN), inhibition
of human cytomegalovirus (HCMV)-induced cell fusion in the glioblastoma
cell line U373 (IF) and global neutralising activity (NA) were quantified
in sera from healthy immunocompetent individuals, asymptomatic
HIV-1-infected subjects and AIDS patients to further characterise the
neutralising antibody response to HCMV in these population groups and to
assess whether HIV-1-infected individuals exhibited an abnormal functional
antibody profile. PN and IF antibodies accounted for a minor fraction of
the NA activity of sera from all population groups. Sera from
HIV-1-infected individuals (particularly AIDS patients) displayed higher
levels of PN and IF antibodies than those from the healthy control group;
however, the relative contribution of these antibodies to the global serum
NA activity appeared to be lower in the former individuals than in
immunocompetent controls. Serum antibodies preventing HCMV cell-to-cell
spread (IP) were then measured to determine whether a specific deficiency
could be detected in the HIV-1-infected group population. Serum IP antibody
titres were significantly higher in HIV-1-infected individuals
(particularly in AIDS patients) than in controls. The potential
implications of the data for explaining the pathogenesis of HCMV infection
are discussed.
