Contraception Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Contraception, including details on birth control, the pill, condoms, emergency contraception.

Species-specificity of a murine immunocontraceptive utilising murine cytomegalovirus as a gene delivery vector.

Smith LM, Lloyd ML, Harvey NL, Redwood AJ, Lawson MA, Shellam GR

Discipline of Microbiology, University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Hwy, Crawley, WA 6009, Australia. lmsmith@cyllene.uwa.edu.au

Cytomegaloviruses are species-specific DNA viruses. Recombinant murine cytomegaloviruse (MCMV) expressing the mouse egg-coat protein zona pellucida 3 (mZP3) has been shown to sterilise female mice by breaking self-tolerance and inducing an immune response against the host ZP3. This virus has the potential to be used for mouse population control, however the effect of this recombinant immunocontraceptive virus in non-host species must be determined. Recombinant MCMV-mZP3, based on both laboratory and wild strains of virus, induced long-lived antibody responses against structural viral proteins and mZP3 when inoculated into laboratory rats, although no viral DNA or replicating virus was identified. The anti-mZP3 antibodies were specific for mouse ZP3, did not cross-react with rat ZP3, and had no effect on the fertility of the rats.

Published 6 April 2005 in Vaccine, 23(23): 2959-69.
Full-text of this article is available online (may require subscription).

© 2004-2008 Contraception Research Today. All Rights Reserved.