DETECTION OF CYTOMEGALOVIRUS IN FORMALIN-FIXED PARAFFIN-EMBEDDED DONOR, NATIVE AND ALLOGRAFT LIVER-TISSUE USING A MULTIPLEX POLYMERASE CHAIN-REACTION LIQUID HYBRIDIZATION ASSAY

A multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-liquid hybridization assay detecting a minimum 10 fg of cytomegaloviral (CMV) DNA has been devel oped. This assay successfully detected viral nucleic acids in 25/26 (9 6.2%) routinely embedded allograft liver biopsies with CMV hepatitis. No CMV DNA was detected in 15 native and 12 donor liver tissues sample d at the time of liver transplantation. These results indicate that ar chived formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded liver tissues obtained from p atients with significant liver disease can be successfully analyzed fo r CMV by PCR, retrospectively. Failure to detect CMV in native and don or livers implies that any latent virus present within these tissues i s very focally distributed, or is below the threshold of detection app licable to PCR.