Development and evidence for efficacy of CMV glycoprotein B vaccine with MF59 adjuvant

A vaccine comprised of recombinant cytomegalovirus (CMV) envelope glycoprotein B (gB) with MF59 adjuvant developed in the 1990s recently was recently found to have efficacy for prevention of CMV infection in a phase 2 clinical trial in young mothers. This review briefly considers the rationale for gB as a vaccine antigen, the history of this CMV gB vaccine and the data supporting vaccine efficacy.