Effect of concurrent cytomegaloviral infection and undernutrition on the growth and immune response of mice.

Mice were inoculated with murine cytomegalovirus (MCMV) passaged in cell cultures within 24 h of birth and subsequently fed an adequate or a low-protein diet after weaning; increases in body weight, the blastogenic response of lymphocytes to T and B cell mitogens, and the capability to produce antibodies to T or B cell-dependent antigens were observed for the first 28 to 42 days of life. Neonatal infection resulted in immunosuppression and retarded physical growth through the first 4 weeks of life. After weaning (3 weeks), the effect of MCMV infection of well-nourished mice paralleled the effect of undernutrition in uninfected animals. Undernutrition and MCMV infection functioned synergistically.