Scientists at the Gladstone Institutes have mapped the molecular
mechanism by which a virus known as cytomegalovirus (CMV) so
successfully infects its hosts. This discovery paves the way for
new research avenues aimed at fighting this and other seemingly
benign viruses that can turn deadly. Not all viruses are created
equal. Some ravage the body quickly, while others—after an
initial infection—lie dormant for decades. CMV is one of the
eight types of human herpes viruses, a family of viruses that
also include Epstein-Barr virus (which causes mononucleosis) and
varicella-zoster virus (which causes chickenpox), and it is one
of the world's most rampant. And like other successful viruses,
CMV maintains a few key features: it replicates quickly, it
evades the host's immune defenses and it keeps the host cell
alive just long enough to produce optimal amounts of virus. This
last feature helps prevent the virus from building up to toxic
levels inside a cell—an action that would kill the cell before
the virus had a c