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Updated: Jun 3, 2025
Use of In vivo Imaging to Monitor the Progression of Experimental Mouse Cytomegalovirus Infection in Neonates
Published on: July 6, 2013
Susceptibility of Mouse Brain to MCMV Infection and Neuroinflammation During Ontogeny
Fran Krstanović1, Andrea Mihalić1, Lucija Šakota1,2
1Center for Proteomics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Rijeka, 51000 Rijeka, Croatia.
Abstract:
Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) rarely infects the brain following infection of adult individuals. However, the virus readily infects the brain during congenital HCMV (cHCMV) infection, frequently causing severe neurodevelopmental and neurological sequelae. Interestingly, although the incidence of cHCMV infection is 0.5-1%, the proportion of congenitally infected individuals in which the virus manages to gain access to the brain is unknown. In this study, we used infection of mice with mouse cytomegalovirus (MCMV), the most commonly used experimental system for modeling HCMV disease in humans, to determine the impact of age on the susceptibility of the brain to cytomegalovirus infection and infection-mediated neuroinflammation. We demonstrate that infection of mice during various stages of neonatal development can lead to CMV neuroinvasion and inflammation. In contrast, MCMV infection does not result in MCMV neuroinvasion and neuroinflammation in weanling and adult mice. The obtained results establish a basis for elucidating the mechanisms of CMV neuroinvasion and the deleterious inflammatory response during ontogeny.
Insights
Neonatal cytomegalovirus infection invades the brain and causes inflammation. However, adult mice infected with cytomegalovirus do not show brain invasion or neuroinflammation, suggesting age-dependent susceptibility.
Area of Science:
- Virology
- Neuroscience
- Immunology
Background:
- Congenital human cytomegalovirus (cHCMV) infection frequently leads to severe neurodevelopmental issues.
- The precise proportion of cHCMV infections that result in brain invasion remains unknown.
- Mouse cytomegalovirus (MCMV) serves as a model for studying human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) in the brain.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the impact of age on brain susceptibility to cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection.
- To determine the effect of age on infection-mediated neuroinflammation.
- To elucidate mechanisms of CMV neuroinvasion during development.
Main Methods:
- Infection of mice with mouse cytomegalovirus (MCMV) at different neonatal, weanling, and adult developmental stages.
- Monitoring for CMV neuroinvasion and neuroinflammation.
Main Results:
- Neonatal MCMV infection led to CMV neuroinvasion and inflammation in mice.
- MCMV infection did not result in neuroinvasion or neuroinflammation in weanling and adult mice.
- Age significantly impacts the brain's susceptibility to CMV infection and subsequent inflammation.
Conclusions:
- CMV neuroinvasion and neuroinflammation are age-dependent, occurring primarily during neonatal development.
- These findings provide a foundation for understanding CMV neuroinvasion mechanisms during early life.
- Further research can explore targeted interventions for congenital CMV infections.
