CMV and Vascular Function During Pregnancy

Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) is implicated in several vascular diseases through endothelial dysfunction. Most of the research on CMV has focused on either congenital CMV infections or CMV disease in immunocompromised hosts; however, CMV has also been associated with vascular diseases in immunocompetent individuals, including atherosclerosis and the pregnancy-specific disorder preeclampsia. A direct connection between CMV and vascular dysfunction remains unknown. Therefore, in the presence or absence of an active CMV infection, I chose to study the systemic (mesenteric) and uterine vascular responses in intact, isolated arteries from non-pregnant (NP) and late pregnant (LP) mice. Furthermore, I investigated if a maternal CMV infection leads to poor fetal outcomes, independent of a congenital infection. Viral transmission to the fetus does not occur in the mouse, making it a useful model for studying maternal CMV infections.