Efficient lytic infection of human arterial endothelial cells by human cytomegalovirus strains

Endothelial cells (EC) are common targets of permissive infection by human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) in vivo during acute disease, However, studies of HC MV-EC interactions in vitro have generated discordant results. While lytic infection of cultured venous EC has been well established, Fish et al. (K. N. Fish, C. Soderberg Naucler, L, K, Mills, S. Stenglein, and J, A. Nelson, J, Virol, 72:5661-5668) have reported noncytopathic persistence of the vir us in cultured aortic EC. We propose that interstrain differences in viral host cell tropism rather than the vascular bed of origin of infected EC mig ht account for these discrepancies. In the present investigation we compare d the responses of EC derived from human adult iliac artery, placental micr ovasculature, and umbilical vein to infection with various HCMV strains. Re gardless of the vascular bed of origin, infection with EC-propagated HCMV s trains induced 100% efficient cytopathic change progressing to complete lys is of inoculated monolayers, While fibroblast-propagated strains persisted at low titer in infected arterial EC cultures, they were also cytolytic for individual infected cells. The finding of cytopathic lytic infection of ar terial EC by HCMV implicates a mechanism of vascular injury in the pathogen esis of HCMV infection.