Maternal cell‐mediated cytolysis of CMV‐infected fetal cells and the outcome of pregnancy in the guinea pig

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Abstract
Cytolytic recognition of CMV‐infected syngeneic fetal guinea pig cells by maternal peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) was suppressed late in pregnancies of uninfected guinea pig breeders with < 25% conceptus loss. A small subset of less successful uninfected pregnancies with > 50% fetal wastage exhibited only partial suppression of cytolytic activity against CMV‐infected fetal cells. Primary CMV infection of dams extending into early pregnancy induced augmented cytolysis of CMV‐infected fetal cells, but not MA104 NK cell targets, throughout gestation and resulted in 70% loss of conceptus. Decreased suppression of cytolytic activity against CMV‐infected fetal cells in uninfected pregnancy was also associated with runting of newborn pups, which was not as severe as that observed in congenitally CMV‐exposed or CMV‐infected pups. Congenitally infected pups were affected more than their exposed but uninfected litter mates. Lack of suppression of cytolysis of CMV‐infected syngeneic fetal cells, whether spontaneous or CMV‐infection‐induced, appears to be associated with poor pregnancy outcome.