Animal models of congenital cytomegalovirus infection: an overview of progress in the characterization of guinea pig cytomegalovirus (GPCMV)

MR Schleiss - Journal of clinical virology, 2002 - Elsevier
Background: The strict species-specificity of cytomegalovirus (CMV) precludes preclinical
evaluation of human CMV (HCMV) vaccines in animal models and necessitates the study of
nonhuman CMVs. Among the CMVs of small mammals, the guinea pig cytomegalovirus
(GPCMV) has unique advantages, due to its ability to cross the placenta, causing infection in
utero. Objective and study designs: Progress in GPCMV studies has been hampered by a
lack of detailed molecular characterization of the viral genome. Therefore, recent efforts …