Cytotoxic T Cells in Cytomegalovirus Infection

TLDR

All patients had low or absent cytomegalovirus‑specific cytotoxic lymphocyte activity before infection onset. The study aimed to evaluate immune responses to cytomegalovirus infection in bone‑marrow transplant recipients. The authors examined 58 transplant recipients, measuring cytotoxic lymphocyte activity before and during infection. Among 58 recipients, 43 developed CMV infection (12 fatal, 23 nonfatal, 8 at death from other causes); survivors mounted CMV‑specific cytotoxic responses, whereas only two fatal cases had low‑level responses; natural and antibody‑dependent killer‑cell activities were depressed in fatal cases but not survivors; outcomes did not correlate with disease type, transplant type, pre‑transplant antibody status, or lymphocyte proliferation, but effective virus‑specific cytotoxic response correlated with recovery. N Engl J Med 1982; 307:6–13.

Abstract

We studied 58 recipients of bone-marrow transplants to evaluate immune responses to cytomegalovirus infection. Such infection developed in 43 patients; it was fatal in 12, nonfatal in 23, and present at death from other causes in eight. All patients had low or absent cytomegalovirus-specific cytotoxic lymphocyte activity before the onset of infection. Cytomegalovirus-specific cytotoxic responses developed in all survivors, whereas only two patients with fatal infection had even low-level cytomegalovirus-specific cytotoxic responses. Natural and antibody-dependent killer-cell activities were depressed both before and during infection in patients with fatal infections, but not in those who survived. The outcome of the infection did not correlate with the nature of the underlying disease, the type of transplant received, the pretransplantation cytomegalovirus-antibody status, or lymphocyte-proliferation responses to cytomegalovirus antigens or concanavalin A. The correlation between effective virus-specific cytotoxic response and recovery from infection indicates that these effector cells probably mediate recovery from cytomegalovirus infection. (N Engl J Med. 1982; 307:6–13.)