IMPAIRED INTERFERON RESPONSE OF CHILDREN WITH CONGENITAL CYTOMEGALOVIRUS DISEASE

Abstract

Abstract. Emödi, G. and Just, M. (Department of Microbiology and Immunology of the University Childrens Hospital, Basel Switzerland). Impaired interferon response of children with congenital cytomegalovirus disease. Acta Paediat Scand, 63: 183, 1974.–The reason for the observation, that only 1 child out of 30 newborns with congenital cytomegalovirus infection has clinical signs of congenital disease, is not known. The possibility of a defect in interferon mechanism responsible for development of congenital disease. was tested. Six infants with typical symptoms of congenital cytomegalovirus disease were compared with infants excreting virus without symptoms related to congenital infection and with healthy adults with and without virus excretion. From patients and controls lymphocytes were separated and stimulated by in vitro virus infection for interferon production capacity. A significantly reduced interferon response was found in the children with symptoms of congenital cytomegalovirus disease, compared with the different control groups. The possibility that the impaired interferon response is a genetically fixed defect leading to generalization of cytomegalovirus infection is discussed.