CYTOMEGALOVIRUS GLYCOPROTEIN-B GENOTYPING IN OCULAR FLUIDS AND BLOOD OF AIDS PATIENTS WITH CYTOMEGALOVIRUS RETINITIS

PURPOSE. To determine the frequency of cytomegalovirus glycoprotein B (gB) genotypes in clinical samples of ocular fluids of patients with a cquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) who have cytomegalovirus ret initis and to compare these with the cytomegalovirus gB genotype in pa ired peripheral blood leukocytes. METHODS. Glycoprotein B genotypes of cytomegalovirus genomic DNA were determined in 29 ocular and 9 paired blood samples of 27 patients, by polymerase chain reaction amplificat ion followed by restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis. RES ULTS. In the 29 ocular samples, 30 gB genotypes were determined: Glyco protein B1 was found in 8 samples (27%), gB2 in 9 samples (30%), gB3 i n 6 samples (20%), and gB4 in 3 samples (10%). In one sample, a mixed genotype was observed. In addition to these previously characterized g B genotypes, a new gB variant was observed in the ocular fluid of four patients. Partial sequence analysis revealed that this new gB genotyp e is closely related to gB3, and it was therefore named gB3'. In the b lood samples, only gB1, gB2, and gB3 genotypes were observed. In the n ine paired samples of ocular fluid and blood, four showed a difference in gB genotype between these compartments. CONCLUSIONS. The distribut ion of cytomegalovirus glycoprotein 8 genotypes gB1-gB4 in ocular flui ds of patients with AIDS who have cytomegalovirus retinitis was determ ined in this study. The predominance of gB2, as described by others, w as not confirmed. The glycoprotein B genotype in the eye can be differ ent from the genotype found in the blood of the same patient. A new gB variant, gB3', was found in the ocular samples of 4 of 27 patients, b ut not in the blood samples tested.