Evidence map›Paper›PMID 30223489›Full record

ArticleViruses2018

Large-Scale Screening of HCMV-Seropositive Blood Donors Indicates that HCMV Effectively Escapes from Antibodies by Cell-Associated Spread.

Jessica Julia Falk, Martina Winkelmann, Kerstin Laib Sampaio, Caroline Paal, Hubert Schrezenmeier, Mira Alt, Richard Stanton, Adalbert Krawczyk, Ramin Lotfi, Christian Sinzger

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Viruses, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 18 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
18citing papers in PubMed
1.8field-weighted citation impact, top 15% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

18 citing papers in PubMed, 23 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Review
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  3. A viral glycoprotein targets IgGEMBO molecular medicine · 2026
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  6. The immune response to human cytomegalovirus: impact of age, co-morbidities and the significance of anti-viral activity assessment.Philosophical transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological sciences · 2025
    Review
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

10 authors at 3 institutions in 2 countries.

Jessica Julia FalkInstitute for Virology, Ulm University Medical Center, 89081 Ulm, Germany. jessica.falk@uni-ulm.de.
Martina WinkelmannInstitute for Transfusion Medicine, Ulm University Medical Center, 89081 Ulm, Germany. m.winkelmann@blutspende.de.
Kerstin Laib SampaioInstitute for Virology, Ulm University Medical Center, 89081 Ulm, Germany. kerstin.laib@uni-ulm.de.
Caroline PaalInstitute for Virology, Ulm University Medical Center, 89081 Ulm, Germany. caroline.paal@t-online.de.
Hubert SchrezenmeierInstitute for Transfusion Medicine, Ulm University Medical Center, 89081 Ulm, Germany. h.schrezenmeier@blutspende.de.
Mira AltInstitute for Virology, University Hospital Essen, University of Duisburg-Essen, 45147 Essen, Germany. Mira.Alt@uk-essen.de.
Richard StantonDivision of Infection and Immunity, Cardiff University School of Medicine, Cardiff CF14 4XN, UK. richstanton@gmail.com.ORCID 0000-0002-6799-1182
Adalbert KrawczykInstitute for Virology, University Hospital Essen, University of Duisburg-Essen, 45147 Essen, Germany. Adalbert.Krawczyk@uk-essen.de.ORCID 0000-0001-9502-9903
Ramin LotfiInstitute for Transfusion Medicine, Ulm University Medical Center, 89081 Ulm, Germany. r.lotfi@blutspende.de.ORCID 0000-0002-8125-0591
Christian SinzgerInstitute for Virology, Ulm University Medical Center, 89081 Ulm, Germany. christian.sinzger@uniklinik-ulm.de.ORCID 0000-0002-9282-1783
Universität Ulm · DEUniversity of Duisburg-Essen · DECardiff University · GB

Funding

Else Kröner-Fresenius-Stiftung 2014-A45 and 2016-A126HCRW_ HS-14-11Medical Research Council MR/L008734/1
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Immunoglobulins are only moderately effective for the treatment of human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) infections, possibly due to ineffectiveness against cell-associated virus spread. To overcome this limitation, we aimed to identify individuals with exceptional antibodies in their plasma that can efficiently block the cell-associated spread of HCMV. A Gaussia luciferase-secreting mutant of the cell-associated HCMV strain Merlin was generated, and luciferase activity evaluated as a readout for the extent of cell-associated focal spread. This reporter virus-based assay was then applied to screen plasma samples from 8400 HCMV-seropositive individuals for their inhibitory effect, including direct-acting antiviral drugs as positive controls. None of the plasmas reduced virus spread to the level of these controls. Even the top-scoring samples that partially reduced luciferase activity in the screening assay failed to inhibit focal growth when reevaluated with a more accurate, immunofluorescence-based assay. Selected sera with high neutralizing capacity against free viruses were analyzed separately, and none of them prevented the focal spread of three recent clinical HCMV isolates nor reduced the number of particles transmitted, as demonstrated with a fluorescent Merlin mutant. We concluded that donors with cell-to-cell-spread-inhibiting plasma are nonexistent or extremely rare, emphasizing cell-associated spread as a highly efficient immune escape mechanism of HCMV.

Indexed as

Blood DonorsImmune EvasionAntibodies, NeutralizingAntibodies, ViralAntigens, ViralCytomegalovirusCytomegalovirus InfectionsGene ExpressionGenes, ReporterGenetic EngineeringHigh-Throughput Screening AssaysHost-Pathogen InteractionsHumansAntibodies, NeutralizingAntibodies, ViralAntigens, Viralantibodiescell-associated spreadcytomegalovirusimmune evasion

Identifiers

PMID30223489
PMCPMC6163834
OpenAlexW2889955775

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.