DETECTION OF HUMAN CYTOMEGALOVIRUS IN PERIPHERAL-BLOOD LEUKOCYTES BY THE POLYMERASE CHAIN-REACTION AND A NONRADIOACTIVE PROBE

This study evaluated the effectiveness of polymerase chain reaction (P CR) combined with a nonradioactive probe for the early detection of cy tomegalovirus (CMV) in buffy-coat specimens of immunocompromised patie nts. Dot-blot hybridization with a digoxigenin-labeled probe was used to detect a 262-bp PCR amplified fragment of the major immediate-early gene of CMV DNA. The results were compared with tissue cultures isola tion of CMV. The study included 172 buffy-coat specimens from 72 immun ocompromised patients. All 28 buffy-coat specimens positive by culture were also positive by PCR. The remaining 144 specimens were negative by culture; however, 47 of these were positive by PCR. Consequently, P CR was in agreement with culture results in 72% of the samples. Of the 47 PCR-positive-culture-negative specimens, 23 were from patients who had positive buffy-coat cultures at other times during their treatmen t. Chart review showed that an additional 16 of the PCR-positive-cultu re-negative samples were from patients with clinical evidence of activ e CMV disease. The eight remaining specimens were from five patients w ithout signs of active disease. Specimens from 11 healthy volunteers w ere negative by PCR. In this study PCR was shown to be more sensitive than culture because if allowed earlier detection of viremia and demon strated CMV in buffy-coat specimens that were negative by culture.