The Interaction of Murine Cytomegalovirus With Murine Neutrophils: Effect on Migratory and Phagocytic Activities

To investigate the interaction of cytomegalovirus (CMV) with neutrophils, we studied the effects of in vitro incubation of murine neutrophils with murine CMV (MCMV). Neutrophils incubated with MCMV for 4 h had depressed chemotactic activity, mean chemotactic index of 1.34 +/- 1.43 for MCMV-treated neutrophils vs 3.22 +/- 2.11 for controls. Engulfment of latex spheres by MCMV-treated neutrophils was also reduced. These differences were not attributable to loss of cell viability. UV-inactivation of MCMV pools abolished the inhibitory effects of MCMV, indicating that these effects were related to infectivity of the virus. Electron microscopic studies at 4 h demonstrated virus particles within the phagosomes of occasional neutrophils. These studies demonstrate that neutrophil functions can be altered by an in vitro interaction with infectious CMV and suggest that a direct effect of CMV on neutrophils could account for the abnormal neutrophil functions observed during animal CMV infections.