ANTIBODIES ARE NOT ESSENTIAL FOR THE RESOLUTION OF PRIMARY CYTOMEGALOVIRUS-INFECTION BUT LIMIT DISSEMINATION OF RECURRENT VIRUS

Virus shedding from the epithelial cells of the serous acini of saliva ry glands is a major source for the horizontal transmission of cytomeg alovirus. These cells are, different to other tissues, exempt from CD8 T lymphocyte control. CD4 T lymphocytes are essential to terminate th e productive infection. Here, we prove that T-B cooperation and the pr oduction of antibodies are not required for this process. For the infe ction with murine cytomegalovirus, mutant mice were used which do not produce antibodies because of a disrupted membrane exon of the immunog lobulin mu chain gene. Also, in these mice the virus clearance from sa livary glands is a function of CD4 T lymphocytes. However, these mice clear the virus and establish viral latency with a kinetics that is di stinguishable from normal mice. Reactivation from virus latency is the only stage at which the absence of antibodies alters the phenotype of infection. In immunoglobulin-deficient mice, virus recurrence results in higher virus titers. The adoptive serum transfer proved that antib ody is the limited factor that prevents virus dissemination in the imm unodeficient host.