TRANSMISSION OF LATENT CYTOMEGALOVIRUS IN A MURINE KIDNEY TISSUE TRANSPLANTATION MODEL

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Abstract
Latent murine cytomegalovirus (MCMV) may be transmitted in kidney tissue to transplant recipients. Balb/c mice were infected with MCMV, and at intervals of < 1 wk to > 1 yr, transmission of the virus from infected donors was attempted by transplantation of kidney sections or transfusion of blood into uninfected recipients. Graft recipients were killed from 2-4 wk later and cultured for MCMV. Restriction endonuclease digestion profiles of viral DNA were performed. Acutely infected donors transmitted MCMV in kidney tissue to 83-68% of untreated, susceptible recipients. Latently infected donors transmitted the infecting strain of virus to 20% of all and 31% of immunosuppressed recipients, but to 37% of the syngeneic vs. 21% of the allogeneic (P < 0.027). Blood transfusions transmitted latent virus to 28% of recipients. Kidney tissue may serve as the source of latent virus in this murine transplantation model. Retained blood in the kidney is unlikely to be the only source of virus.