A neutralizing anti-gH/gL monoclonal antibody is protective in the guinea pig model of congenital CMV infection.

• Main Authors: Marcy R Auerbach, Donghong Yan, Rajesh Vij, Jo-Anne Hongo, Gerald Nakamura, Jean-Michel Vernes, Y Gloria Meng, Samantha Lein, Pamela Chan, Jed Ross, Richard Carano, Rong Deng, Nicholas Lewin-Koh, Min Xu, Becket Feierbach
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Public Library of Science (PLoS) 2014-04-01
• Series: PLoS Pathogens
• Online Access: http://europepmc.org/articles/PMC3983071?pdf=render

Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) is the most common cause of congenital virus infection. Congenital HCMV infection occurs in 0.2-1% of all births, and causes birth defects and developmental abnormalities, including sensorineural hearing loss and developmental delay. Several key studies have established the guinea pig as a tractable model for the study of congenital HCMV infection and have shown that polyclonal antibodies can be protective. In this study, we demonstrate that an anti-guinea pig CMV (GPCMV) glycoprotein H/glycoprotein L neutralizing monoclonal antibody protects against fetal infection and loss in the guinea pig. Furthermore, we have delineated the kinetics of GPCMV congenital infection, from maternal infection (salivary glands, seroconversion, placenta) to fetal infection (fetus and amniotic fluid). Our studies support the hypothesis that a neutralizing monoclonal antibody targeting an envelope GPCMV glycoprotein can protect the fetus from infection and may shed light on the therapeutic intervention of HCMV congenital infection in humans.