Cytomegalovirus Antigen Expression, Endothelial Cell Proliferation, and Intimal Thickening in Rat Cardiac Allografts After Cytomegalovirus Infection

Abstract

These results demonstrate a productive RCMV infection in cardiac allograft structures and suggest that RCMV infection accelerates cardiac allograft arteriosclerosis, particularly in small intramyocardial arterioles mediated by inflammatory responses in the vascular wall and perivascular space.