LONGITUDINAL-STUDY OF CYTOMEGALOVIRUS ANTIBODIES IN INDIVIDUALS INFECTED WITH THE HUMAN-IMMUNODEFICIENCY-VIRUS

Cytomegalovirus (CMV) antibody profiles were studied in 25 HIV-infecte d patients over periods of up to 56 months. Specific antibodies agains t CMV antigen components were monitored by complement-fixation (CF) te st, EIA, Western blot and a neutralization assay. Three subjects remai ned CMV seronegative throughout the study. Marked fluctuations were ob served in anti-CMV antibodies assayed by the CF test as compared to a control group. Fluctuations on immunoblots of purified virion antigens were also observed in the HIV-infected patients; neutralizing antibod ies and anti-CMV nucleocapsid antibodies showed less variability. Seve n of 22 individuals exhibited an increase in CF-test titre of up to 64 -fold without clinically apparent CMV disease. On Western-blot testing of IgG reactivity with disrupted virions, ten individuals exhibited i ncreasing reactivity to pp65, and only three of these also showed a ti tre rise in the CF test, in contrast, 7 of 22 showed low reactivity to the pp28 antigen. The homosexual patient group exhibited the highest levels of anti-CMV antibody. In conclusion, many asymptomatic HIV-infe cted subjects showed fluctuations at different levels of their antibod y response to CMV, thought to be indicative of CMV reactivation/reinfe ction. Western-blot findings indicated that some CMV antibodies increa sed in level while others were lost.