NOVEL DNA ASSAY FOR CYTOMEGALOVIRUS DETECTION - COMPARISON WITH CONVENTIONAL CULTURE AND PP65 ANTIGENEMIA ASSAY

We compared conventional cytomegalovirus (CMV) isolation, rapid viral culture, a CMV pp65 antigenemia assay, and a novel CMV DNA hybrid capt ure system (HCS), A total of 309 blood samples from individuals in dif ferent risk groups were assessed by at least two of the methods mentio ned above, Leukocytes were recovered either after centrifugation in Le ucosep tubes containing 1.080 Ficoll for pp65 assay or after simple di fferential lysis steps for DNA detection, HCS was based on DNA hybridi zation with a CMV RNA probe and its capture by antibodies to DNA-RNA h ybrids, The CMV pp65 lower matrix protein was detected by fluorescence with c10-c11 monoclonal antibody in formalin-fixed leukocytes. Concor dant results were observed for 92.9, 78.3, and 82.7% of the patients w hen comparing (i) viral culture and the pp65 antigenemia assay, (ii) v iral culture and HCS, and (iii) the pp65 antigenemia assay and HCS, re spectively, Discordant results were observed between a positive HCS re sult and negative culture and/or pp65 results, These results were asso ciated with relatively low DNA levels (<20 pg/10(6) cells) and positiv e viruria, In conclusion, the pp65 antigenemia assay is a rapid and re liable method of detecting CMV end is preferable to culture, but the M urex HCS appears to be more sensitive for CMV detection.