Biological relevance of Cytomegalovirus genetic variability in congenitally and postnatally infected children

Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV), a double stranded DNA herpesvirus, is the most frequent cause of congenital malformations worldwide, resulting in neurodevelopmental delay, foetal or neonatal death, and most frequently sensorineural hearing loss [1 –3]. It is characterized by a large genome encoding a wide range of gene products, endowed of effective immunomodulatory activity [4–6]. For instance, different viral genes encoding tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) receptor (UL144), α-chemokines (UL146-147), β-chemokine receptor (US28) are potential virulence factors associated with severe congenital HCMV infection [7,8].

Source: Journal of Clinical Virology - October 3, 2018 Category: Virology Authors: Ganna Galitska, Matteo Biolatti, Marco De Andrea, Agata Leone, Alessandra Coscia, Luigi Bertolotti, Ugo Ala, Enrico Bertino, Valentina Dell ’Oste, Santo Landolfo Source Type: research