Interstitial neumonia and cytomegalovirus: and immunopathological process

Abstract

Cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection is a frequent cause of morbidity and mortality in immunocompromised individuals including renal and bone marrow transplant recipients and patients with the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). CMV infection often affects the lung producing a fatal interstitial pneumonitis (IP). The pathogenesis of CMV IP is not well understood, but clinical observations in humans and laboratory studies with murine models, offer possibilities for explaining CMV-induced IP as an immunopathological disease.