• Media type: E-Article
  • Title: Deficiency in Antibody Response to Human Cytomegalovirus Glycoprotein gH in Human Immunodeficiency Virus-Infected Patients at Risk for Cytomegalovirus Retinitis
  • Contributor: Rasmussen, Lucy; Morris, Shannon; Wolitz, Richard; Dowling, Anna; Fessell, Jeffrey; Holodniy, Mark; Merigan, Thomas C.
  • Published: University of Chicago Press, 1994
  • Published in: The Journal of Infectious Diseases, 170 (1994) 3, Seite 673-677
  • Language: English
  • ISSN: 0022-1899
  • Keywords: Concise Communications
  • Origination:
  • Footnote:
  • Description: Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected patients at risk for symptomatic human cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection were studied for serum antibody to CMV glycoproteins gH and gB. Antibody titers to gB in HIV-seropositive patients, irrespective of CD4 cell counts or presence of CMV retinitis, were significantly higher than titers in HIV-seronegative, CMV-seropositive patients but were comparable to titers detected in HIV-seronegative patients with CMV mononucleosis. In contrast, antibody to gH was rarely detected in HIV-seropositive patients with CD4 cell counts >100/mm³ compared with patients with counts >100/mm³. The inability to detect gH antibody at a time of high risk for symptomatic CMV retinitis suggests that immune intervention with either gH-specific vaccine or passive immunotherapy may benefit HIV-infected persons at risk for symptomatic CMV disease.