Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) infection is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant recipients. The significant clinical impact of HCMV infection and progression to HCMV disease among allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant recipients has been reduced by prophylactic, preemptive, and curative treatments using ganciclovir, valganciclovir, foscarnet, and cidofovir. Resistance to (val)ganciclovir results from mutations localized in HCMV UL97 gene (encoding the pUL97 phosphotransferase), UL54 gene (encoding the pUL54 DNA polymerase), or both genes, whereas foscarnet and cidofovir resistance results from mutations localized within UL54 gene only. This review is focused on HCMV antiviral drug resistance, including the functions of target genes of antivirals, the mechanisms of antiviral resistance, the different mutations in pUL97 and pUL54 that have been identified in either clinical isolates or laboratory strains, and their impact on HCMV susceptibility to antiviral drugs. It emphasizes the importance of proving that observed genetic changes confer resistance so they can be distinguished from polymorphisms. Because of the emergence of HCMV resistance to currently available drugs, novel drugs are urgently needed for the therapeutic management of HCMV-resistant infections in hematopoietic stem cell transplant patients.

Microglia have been increasingly implicated in neurodegenerative diseases (NDs), and specific disease associated microglia (DAM) profiles have been defined for several of these NDs. Yet, the microglial profile in Machado–Joseph disease (MJD) remains unexplored. Here, we characterized the profile of microglia in the CMVMJD135 mouse model of MJD. This characterization was performed using primary microglial cultures and microglial cells obtained from disease-relevant brain regions of neonatal and adult CMVMJD135 mice, respectively. Machine learning models were implemented to identify potential clusters of microglia based on their morphological features, and an RNA-sequencing analysis was performed to identify molecular perturbations and potential therapeutic targets. Our findings reveal morphological alterations that point to an increased activation state of microglia in CMVMJD135 mice and a disease-specific transcriptional profile of MJD microglia, encompassing a total of 101 differentially expressed genes, with enrichment in molecular pathways related to oxidative stress, immune response, cell proliferation, cell death, and lipid metabolism. Overall, these results allowed us to define the cellular and molecular profile of MJD-associated microglia and to identify genes and pathways that might represent potential therapeutic targets for this disorder.

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