title: Serum antibodies to individual cytomegalovirus structural polypeptides in renal transplant recipients during viral infection.
abstract: In a longitudinal study we examined by immunoblotting (IB) the development and the evolution of the humoral immune response against individual cytomegalovirus (CMV) structural polypeptides in a total of 80 serum samples from 13 renal transplant recipients showing serological evidence of CMV infection and five renal transplant recipients with an anti-CMV antibody level unchanged over the observation period. The results showed that the IB reactivity at the time of transplantation may be a good index of the host's humoral immune status against CMV; by using this procedure it is possible to identify a seroconversion by the detection of antibodies reacting with some intermediate molecular weight proteins in sera examined at high dilution. Furthermore, IB is a very sensitive procedure also for IgM detection as it anticipates the positivity of the enzyme immune assay for IgM.
mesh_terms: D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000032:analysis*; D000956:Antigens, Viral / Q000276:immunology*; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D003168:Complement Fixation Tests; D003587:Cytomegalovirus / Q000276:immunology*; D004622:Embryo, Mammalian; D006801:Humans; D007124:Immunoenzyme Techniques; D016030:Kidney Transplantation; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D011933:Reagent Kits, Diagnostic; D014764:Viral Proteins / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D000914:Antibodies, Viral; D000956:Antigens, Viral; D011933:Reagent Kits, Diagnostic; D014764:Viral Proteins