ANTIBODY-RESPONSE TO HUMAN CYTOMEGALOVIRUS (HCMV) GLYCOPROTEIN-B (GB)IN AIDS PATIENTS WITH HCMV END-ORGAN DISEASE

Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV)-specific antibody responses in HIV-1 infe cted individuals either with or without HCMV end-organ disease were ex amined to determine the whether development of HCMV disease was associ ated with a particular deficit in the antibody response. Anti-whole HC MV, anti-glycoprotein B (gB), and neutralizing antibody levels were hi gher in HIV-1 infected individuals than in healthy immunocompetent sub jects, particularly in patients with AIDS either with or without HCMV- associated disease. Irrespective of location and spread of HCMV diseas e, patients who had received anti-HCMV therapy prior to sampling exhib ited significantly higher anti-gB and neutralizing antibody titers tha n those who remained untreated. Likewise, patients with HCMV disease w ho were antigenemic or viremic had significantly lower anti-gB and neu tralizing antibody titers than those who tested negative in either ass ay. Patients with untreated HCMV disease had significantly lower antib ody titers than AIDS patients with out disease. Ana lysis of the IgG s ubclass antibody responses to gB revealed no significant differences a mong HIV-1 infected individuals. These results suggest that levels of detectable anti-gB and HCMV neutralizing antibodies are inversely rela ted to systemic viral load. Thus, antibodies with such specificities m ay be relevant in preventing the establishment of HCMV-associated dise ase or in modulating its progression J. Med. Virol. 55:272-280, 1998. (C) 1998 Wiley-Liss, Inc.