ISOLATION OF HUMAN CYTOMEGALOVIRUS FROM PERIPHERAL-BLOOD T-CELLS OF RENAL-TRANSPLANT PATIENTS

  • 1 January 1982
    • journal article
    • research article
    • Vol. 99  (1) , 92-97
Abstract
Human cytomegalovirus (CMV) can be isolated from the mononuclear leukocyte fraction of peripheral blood taken from patients excreting CMV. Many renal transplant patients show evidence of an active CMF infection and in these patients T cell responses are often impaired. Thus, the current study determined whether the virus could be isolated from T and/or B lymphocytes of viruric patients 3 mo. after renal transplantation. The virus was recovered from a small percentage of T cells (3/106 cells), but not form B cells. Thus, virus infection of T cells cannot explain the depressed cell-mediated immunity observed in these transplant patients unless a specific regulatory subset of T cells is infected. The isolation of CMV from T cells implies that they must be considered as a possible cell for virus persistence in vivo.