Novel therapeutic strategies against cytomegalovirus infection.

Murine CMV (MCMV) presents a model for the study of the role of the immune system in the pathogenesis of human CMV (HCMV) infection. MCMV causes T cell immune impairment in the infected mice, manifested by suppressed responses to T cell mitogens and a profound reduction of Con A induced IL-2 production. Thymic humoral factor (THF-gamma 2) is an octapeptide which was first isolated from calf thymus, characterized and chemically synthesized. This peptide has been shown to have immunoregulatory effects in various systems. Systemic treatment of MCMV-infected mice with THF-gamma 2 resulted in the enhancement of protective efficacy of MCMV immune spleen cells and the reconstitution of mitogenic responses and IL-2 secretion.