Characteristics of infection of B and T lymphocytes from mice after inoculation with cytomegalovirus.

Viremia was produced by inoculating intravenously BALB/c mice with murine cytomegalovirus. Virus was detected in plasma and granulocytes only during the first 8 days after infection. Lymphocyte-associated viremia, detectable by cocultivation on syngeneic or allogeneic fibroblasts, persisted for at least 4 weeks. Eight to 10 days after infection, sonicated lymphocytes had no demonstrable free virus. When whole lymphocytes with no demonstrable free virus were enclosed in a Millipore chamber and placed on a fibroblastic feeder layer, T cells produced free virus but B cells did not. Compared to normal calf serum, specific hyperimmune serum reduced B cell-associated infectious centers by 74% and T cell-associated infectious centers by only 38%. Normal mouse sera reduced by 36% and 30% infectious center production by B cells and T cells, respectively. Lymphocytes enriched with Fc receptor-positive cells produced significantly more infectious centers than receptor-negative cells.