Molecular and biological characterization of a new isolate of guinea pig cytomegalovirus

Viruses. 2014 Jan 27;6(2):448-75. doi: 10.3390/v6020448.

Abstract

Development of a vaccine against congenital infection with human cytomegalovirus is complicated by the issue of re-infection, with subsequent vertical transmission, in women with pre-conception immunity to the virus. The study of experimental therapeutic prevention of re-infection would ideally be undertaken in a small animal model, such as the guinea pig cytomegalovirus (GPCMV) model, prior to human clinical trials. However, the ability to model re-infection in the GPCMV model has been limited by availability of only one strain of virus, the 22122 strain, isolated in 1957. In this report, we describe the isolation of a new GPCMV strain, the CIDMTR strain. This strain demonstrated morphological characteristics of a typical Herpesvirinae by electron microscopy. Illumina and PacBio sequencing demonstrated a genome of 232,778 nt. Novel open reading frames ORFs not found in reference strain 22122 included an additional MHC Class I homolog near the right genome terminus. The CIDMTR strain was capable of dissemination in immune compromised guinea pigs, and was found to be capable of congenital transmission in GPCMV-immune dams previously infected with salivary gland‑adapted strain 22122 virus. The availability of a new GPCMV strain should facilitate study of re-infection in this small animal model.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • DNA, Viral / chemistry*
  • DNA, Viral / genetics*
  • Female
  • Genome, Viral*
  • Guinea Pigs
  • Infectious Disease Transmission, Vertical
  • Microscopy, Electron, Transmission
  • Molecular Sequence Data
  • Pregnancy
  • Roseolovirus / genetics
  • Roseolovirus / isolation & purification*
  • Roseolovirus / physiology
  • Roseolovirus / ultrastructure
  • Roseolovirus Infections / transmission
  • Roseolovirus Infections / veterinary*
  • Roseolovirus Infections / virology
  • Sequence Analysis, DNA
  • Virion / ultrastructure

Substances

  • DNA, Viral

Associated data

  • GENBANK/HG531783