Antigenic polypeptides of 3 reference strains recognized by sera from cytomegalovirus (CMV) infected patients

The polypeptides of Cytomegalovirus (CMV) from 3 references strains (Davis, Ad 169 and Towne) were precipitated by immune sera from 5 renal transplanted patients with CMV-re-infection and 2 sera from patients with primary infection (one renal transplant and one child). Two antibody negative sera (tested in complement fixation test and immunofluorescence) were used as controls. The patterns of antigenic late polypeptides depended on the kinetics of in vitro infection. They differed between the 3 reference strains, and, for each strain, between the immune sera used for precipitation. Only 6 major bands were recognized by all sera in all reference strains. These results demonstrated he heterogeneity of CMV antigenic polypeptides responsible for antibody production in individual patients.