ANALYSIS OF ACQUIRED HUMAN CYTOMEGALOVIRUS INFECTIONS BY POLYMERASE CHAIN-REACTION

We used the polymerase chain reaction and primers corresponding to thr ee regions of the human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) genome to study HCMVs i solated from 16 children attending a single day-care center and the fa ther of two children in the same center. When we analyzed isolates wit h primers for the pp65 and major immediate-early genes, we observed ne arly uniform amplification yielding products of predicted sizes. By co ntrast, primers for the a sequence demonstrated variability among HCMV strains, supporting the use of these primers as an epidemiologic tool . Analysis of a-sequence products from two isolates demonstrated 50 to 70% nucleotide homology with the a sequence of HCMV Towne strain DNA. We observed 95% nucleotide homology for the two a-sequence products d erived from the father-child pair. Analysis of day-care center isolate s indicated that two children excreted two distinct HCMV strains durin g the study interval.