FIBROBLASTS, EPITHELIAL-CELLS, ENDOTHELIAL-CELLS AND SMOOTH-MUSCLE CELLS ARE MAJOR TARGETS OF HUMAN CYTOMEGALOVIRUS-INFECTION IN LUNG AND GASTROINTESTINAL TISSUES

High titre replication of human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) in cell culture is restricted to primary human fibroblasts. During acute infection in vivo, HCMV nucleic acids and antigens have been found in various orga ns. Using only morphological criteria, inconsistent data have been rep orted about the cell types that can be infected by HCMV. In particular , the role of fibroblasts in organ infections has remained unclear. To define accurately the target cells of HCMV in vivo, tissue sections f rom lung and gastrointestinal tract of patients suffering from acute H CMV infection were investigated using immunohistochemical double-label ling analyses. Monoclonal antibodies with defined specificity against immediate early (IE), early (E) and late (L) viral antigens and antibo dies directed against cell marker proteins were employed to identify i nfected cells. The results demonstrated that a broad spectrum of cells was infected by HCMV in vivo. Consistent with their susceptibility in culture, fibroblasts formed a major population of HCMV-infected cells . In contrast, haemopoietic cells were only infrequently stained with virus-specific antibodies. Fibroblasts, epithelial cells, endothelial cells, smooth muscle cells and macrophages appeared to be permissive f or HCMV replication. Contrary to this, polymorphonuclear cells showed only IE gene expression, indicating that these cells were abortively i nfected. The analysis of the distribution of infected cells in tissue supported the hypothesis that endothelial cells and monocytes/macropha ges may play a crucial role in the haematogenous spread of HCMV; in co ntrast, fibroblasts, smooth muscle cells and epithelial cells may form the cell populations important for the multiplication and spread of t he virus in infected tissues.