Immunoblot analysis of the humoral immune response in primary cytomegalovirus infection.

Cytomegalovirus is a common infection in immunologically normal adults. It may cause an asymptomatic infection or may manifest symptomatically as heterophilic-negative mononucleosis. Studies of CMV infection in immunocompromised patients indicate that humoral immune response plays a role in modulating disease severity; however, the effect of antibodies to CMV in modifying disease expression and transmission in immunologically normal individuals has not been well characterized. Using immunoblot technology, we have demonstrated that immune serum from normal adults contains antibodies to at least 15 CMV-associated proteins and that there is strain-to-strain variation in the expression of these immunogens. The kinetics of the immune response were evaluated by using serial sera collected from normal adults after primary CMV infection; analysis of immunoblots of these sera identified one group of antibodies to CMV proteins that arise early and are stable over time, a second group that appear late after infection, and a third group that are variable among patients and over time.