DETECTION OF HUMAN CYTOMEGALOVIRUS DNA, RNA, AND ANTIBODY IN NORMAL DONOR BLOOD

Peripheral blood samples from 313 normal donors were tested for prior human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) infection: 37%, 0.9%, and 43% of the samp les were positive by antibody detection, DNA hybridization, and RNA hy bridization assays, respectively, An early mRNA, which is transcribed from a HindIII-b fragment of the CMV genome and detected with an antis ense RNA probe, can be detected more frequently than antibody and CMV DNA, The early CMV mRNA transcripts can be detected in the peripheral white blood cells in 44% of HCMV-seronegative blood donors, Blood samp les that were CMV RNA positive but antibody negative comprised 27% of the tested samples. Whether CMV RNA in donor blood indicates that CMV can be transmitted via blood transfusion must be determined by further studies.