CASP3 and infection: To verify that HCMV‐infected monocytes exhibited lower amounts of apoptosis than their uninfected counterparts despite the measurable increase in PS expression and caspase-3/-7 activation, we performed a DNA laddering assay to detect the presence of fragmented DNA (a hallmark of complete apoptosis) at 72 hours (data not shown) and 120 hours post infection (a time that we could identify any cellular apoptosis that may potentially be initiated at 72 hours) (Figure 1C).