title: [Detection of HCMV-DNA in aqueous humor for diagnostic confirmation of viral retinitis].
abstract: The differential diagnosis of viral retinitis is mainly based on the evaluation of the clinical findings by the ophthalmologist; for confirmation of the diagnosis, immunohistological testing is necessary. We present the method of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) as a new diagnostic tool in the examination of viral retinitis. The method is based on the selective amplification of a defined segment of viral DNA, which can in a second step be specifically detected by hybridization. Five patients with the typical clinical picture of a fresh cytomegaloviral retinitis of recent origin due to Aids and ten normal healthy controls were included in the study. We looked for CMV-genome in conjunctival and corneal epithelium, anterior chamber punctates, urine and sputum. Serum samples from the same patients were tested for CMV-IgM antibodies as sign of systemic immune response. They were all negative due to the systemic immune deficiency syndrome of these patients. We did not find CMV genome in any case in the control group or in any of the conjunctival and corneal epithelial samples, but we did find it in four of five anterior chamber punctates of patients with the clinical picture of CMV retinitis. We found CMV-DNA additionally in the urine of one patient and in urine and sputum of another. These results show the high value of the method of polymerase chain reaction in the diagnosis of uveitis.
authors.affiliation: Universitäts-Augenklinik, Hamburg, Bundesrepublik Deutschland.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Garweg
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Fenner
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Schmitz
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Böhnke
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001483:Base Sequence / Q000235:genetics; D003587:Cytomegalovirus / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D003586:Cytomegalovirus Infections / Q000175:diagnosis*; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000032:analysis* / Q000235:genetics; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009894:Opportunistic Infections / Q000175:diagnosis*; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012173:Retinitis / Q000175:diagnosis*
chemical_list: D004279:DNA, Viral
vernacular_title: Nachweis von HCMV-DNA im Kammerwasser zur Diagnosesicherung der viralen Retinitis.