Human cytomegalovirus latency and reactivation - A delicate balance between the virus and its host's immune system

Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) is a ubiquitous herpesvirus that still causes severe morbidity and mortality in immunocompromised individuals. During its evolution, the virus has developed sophisticated methods to evade immune r ecognition and to establish life-long persistence in its host. Today, we kn ow that the virus establishes latency in myeloid lineage cells and that the virus is dependent on immune activation mechanisms to reactivate it from l atency to produce a new viral progeny, During this process, a number of vir al proteins are produced that interfere with different immune recognition p athways. The current knowledge of the delicate balance between the virus' c ontinuous existence and its host's immune system will be summarized in this chapter, Copyright (C) 2000 S. Karger AG, Basel.