CMV-Related Immunopathology

Cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection can cause severe diseases with significant morbidity and mortality in immunocompromised patients such as bone marrow or solid-organ transplant recipients, and AIDS patients. Major manifestations include transplant rejection, hepatitis, pneumonitis, encephalitis and retinitis. There is growing evidence that in certain cases CMV disease is closely linked to aberrant immune responses occurring locally within the respective tissues. This book provides important new insights into CMV-related immunopathology, discusses current methods of CMV diagnosis and anti-CMV therapy, and proposes novel antiviral treatment strategies. It contains contributions by leading scientists and clinicians in the field of CMV, who participated in the 'First International Round Table Consensus Meeting', held in Frankfurt, Germany, in August 1997. Comprehensive and up-to-date, this volume is a vital reference for clinicians involved in the diagnosis and treatment of CMV infections, as well as for researchers working on herpesvirus biology and the development of antiviral drugs.