title: Diagnosis of cytomegalovirus pneumonitis on bronchoalveolar lavage fluid: comparison of cytology, immunofluorescence, and in situ hybridization with viral isolation.
abstract: Forty-three bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) specimens from 40 immunocompromised patients were studied for the presence of cytomegalovirus (CMV) by rapid diagnostic methods. DNA in situ hybridization, cytology, and immunofluorescence were compared to conventional cell culture. Eleven (25%) of the 43 BAL samples grew CMV in culture. In situ hybridization detected 6 of these 11 for sensitivity, specificity, and predictive values of positive and negative of 55%, 94%, 75%, and 86%, respectively. Cytology had a sensitivity of 73% and specificity of 100%. Six Papanicolaou-stained cytospins were screened cytologically versus one hybridization cytospin, and the higher sensitivity of cytology may reflect this extensive sampling. The immunofluorescent method had a sensitivity equal to that of cytology (73%): however, the specificity (72%) was significantly less than that of either the probe or cytology. These data suggest that although in situ hybridization can be a rapid, useful method for detecting CMV in BAL specimens, cytology appears to be a more sensitive method.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, School of Medicine, University of Utah, Salt Lake City 84132.
authors.forename: R L
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: Weiss
authors.forename: G W
authors.initials: GW
authors.lastname: Snow
authors.forename: G B
authors.initials: GB
authors.lastname: Schumann
authors.forename: M E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Hammond
mesh_terms: D001992:Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid / Q000382:microbiology / Q000473:pathology*; D003587:Cytomegalovirus / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D003586:Cytomegalovirus Infections / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000382:microbiology; D005455:Fluorescent Antibody Technique; D006801:Humans; D007108:Immune Tolerance; D009693:Nucleic Acid Hybridization; D011024:Pneumonia, Viral / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000382:microbiology