Human Cytomegalovirus Therapeutic Strategies and Clinical Applications

A special issue of Viruses (ISSN 1999-4915). This special issue belongs to the section "Human Virology and Viral Diseases".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 April 2025 | Viewed by 32

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
Department of Pediatrics, Division of Infectious Disease, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI 53226, USA
Interests: human cytomegalovirus; cytomegalovirus; infection; molecular virology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) is the most common congenital infection worldwide and a major pathogen that impacts morbidity, mortality, and cost of care after transplantation. Perhaps no other virus has such diverse consequences, affecting pregnancies, child health, and transplant outcomes. Despite its critical impact on human health, treatment options for HCMV are limited. The nucleoside analog ganciclovir (GCV) and its oral formulation val-GCV improved outcomes for transplantation, and val-GCV may prevent hearing deterioration in congenitally infected children. However, prolonged courses of therapy result in intolerable toxicities to the bone marrow and selection for resistant viruses. The alternative drugs for GCV-resistant HCMV, foscarnet, and cidofovir, also target the viral DNA polymerase; both are nephrotoxic and can only be administered intravenously. New agents include the terminase inhibitor letermovir, FDA-approved for HCMV prophylaxis after bone marrow transplantation, and the viral UL97 kinase inhibitor, maribavir, approved for refractory HCMV disease in adults and children >12 years. Given the emergence of resistance to all agents, there is a great need for additional treatment options for HCMV, including new therapeutic strategies. In this Special Issue, we will focus on recent advances in therapeutic strategies for HCMV and specific treatment considerations for patients at risk for CMV disease.

Dr. Ravit Arav-Boger
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • human cytomegalovirus (HCMV)
  • congenital infection
  • transplantation
  • side effects
  • resistance
  • therapeutic strategies
  • combination therapy

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