Overview of Human Cytomegalovirus Pathogenesis

Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) is a betaherpesvirus with a global seroprevalence of 60-90%. HCMV is the leading cause of congenital infections and poses a great health risk to immunocompromised individuals. Although HCMV infection is typically asymptomatic in the immunocompetent population, infection can result in mononucleosis and has also been associated with the development of certain cancers, as well as chronic inflammatory diseases such as various cardiovascular diseases. In immunocompromised patients, including AIDS patients, transplant recipients, and developing fetuses, HCMV infection is associated with increased rates of morbidity and mortality. Currently there is no vaccine for HCMV and there is a need for new pharmacological treatments. Ongoing research seeks to further define the complex aspects of HCMV pathogenesis, which could potentially lead to the generation of new therapeutics to mitigate the disease states associated with HCMV infection. The following chapter reviews the advancements in our understanding of HCMV pathogenesis in the immunocompetent and immunocompromised hosts.