Specific impairment of cell-mediated immunity in mothers of infants with congenital infection due to cytomegalovirus.

Specific lymphocyte-mediated cytotoxicity to cytomegalovirus (CMV) in eight infants (six to 27 months old) with congenital CMV infection and in the mothers of six of these infants was evaluated with use of a 51chromium (51Cr)-release microassay. The control population consisted of 25 normal newborns, children, and adults. The titers of indirect hemagglutinating (IHA) antibody to CMV in the infected infants ranged from 1:16 to 1:1,024. All of these infants had detectable specific immune release of 51Cr that ranged from 3.3% to 48.9% (mean +/-SE, 21.0%+/-5.6%). The mothers of these infants demonstrated significantly elevated titers of IHA antibody to CMV (geometric mean titer, 1:410) as compared with a mean titer of 1:22 in controls (t = 5.71; P less than 0.001) but showed significantly depressed specific immune release (9.2% +/- 3.2%) compared with that of normal seropositive controls (24.8% +/- 2.8%; t = 3.31; P less than 0.001). In addition, two adult nulliparous women with persistent CMV viruria were also found to have depressed specific immune release to CMV (10.8% and 16.2%). These data suggest that a specific impairment in cell-mediated immunity to CMV occurs in mothers of infants with congenital CMV infection and in some persons who persistently excrete CMV.