# CMV Vaccines: Reinfection and Antigenic Variation

> **NIH NIH R01** · UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA AT BIRMINGHAM · 2023 · $502,963

## Abstract

Abstract:
Congenital human cytomegalovirus (cCMV) infection is the most common viral infection acquired in-utero and
a significant cause of neurodevelopmental abnormalities in infants and children. Although the development of
prophylactic vaccines to prevent or modify this intrauterine infection is a high priority, the unique epidemiology
of cCMV infections, particularly in highly seroimmune maternal populations presents a potential hurdle for
vaccines that will induce immunity similar to that following natural infection. Paradoxically, the rates of cCMV
infections are highest in maternal populations with the highest rates of seroimmunity. In addition, the incidence
of clinically apparent congenital infections and long term neurodevelopmental sequelae in these populations
are similar to those in populations with lower rates of maternal seroimmunity. In this application we will explore
the hypothesis that reinfections with new strains of CMV contributes significantly to the incidence of non-
primary maternal infections that result in cCMV infection and that the source of new strains of CMV are
household exposures, specifically young children. Our approach will be to identify sources of virus exposures,
introduce a cognitive-behavioral intervention to reduce the risks of these exposures, and to determine the
impact of this intervention on the prevalence of cCMV infections in a population of pregnant women with near
universal seroimmunity to CMV prior to conception.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10686167
- **Project number:** 5R01HD061959-16
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA AT BIRMINGHAM
- **Principal Investigator:** William Jarvis Britt
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2023
- **Award amount:** $502,963
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2019-09-16 → 2025-07-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10686167

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10686167, CMV Vaccines: Reinfection and Antigenic Variation (5R01HD061959-16). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-21 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10686167. Licensed CC0.

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