from Chris A. Benedict, Karine Crozat, Mariapia Degli-Esposti and Marc Dalod writing in Cytomegaloviruses: From Molecular Pathogenesis to Intervention:
Mouse cytomegalovirus (MCMV) was first isolated more than half a century ago (Smith, 1954). Subsequent studies of MCMV in its natural host have yielded enormous information regarding the cellular and molecular immune mechanisms that regulate the various phases of this lifelong β-herpesvirus infection. As the techniques and tools for studying mechanisms of immune defense in mice have advanced, so has our understanding of the specific host pathways that operate to control this complex host-pathogen relationship. In this paper we will review how various mouse genetic models have defined an initial blueprint for how immune control of MCMV is achieved, both at the level of innate and adaptive immunity, and where we foresee the advancements in this model of CMV infection will come from in the future.
Further reading: Cytomegaloviruses: From Molecular Pathogenesis to Intervention