Rapid diagnosis of cytomegalovirus infection in immunocompromised patients by detection of early antigen fluorescent foci.
Cell-cultures of cytomegalovirus (CMV) were fixed after 24 hours' incubation and examined by a monoclonal antibody based immunofluorescence method for the detection of CMV-specific early antigens. 385 urine, saliva, or blood samples from 63 immunocompromised patients were inoculated onto cell-cultures. Comparison with the results of conventional cell-cultures in patients who remained uninfected showed that the new technique had a specificity of 100%. The sensitivity was 80%. This immunofluorescence method gave positive results 27h after inoculation of the specimens instead of the mean of 17 X 5 days with the conventional method based on detection of cytopathic effect. 3 saliva samples, from patients who had previously excreted CMV, reacted in the immunofluorescence method but CMV, reacted in the cell-cultures-perhaps because the assay identified defective, interfering particles in these samples. The monoclonal antibodies were also used successfully in another immunofluorescence system to diagnose cytomegalovirus pneumonitis in 3 patients by testing material obtained by bronchoalveolar lavage.
D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000276:immunology; D000956:Antigens, Viral / Q000032:analysis*; D016026:Bone Marrow Transplantation; D003586:Cytomegalovirus Infections / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000276:immunology; D005455:Fluorescent Antibody Technique; D006801:Humans; D007108:Immune Tolerance; D016030:Kidney Transplantation; D008722:Methods; D011014:Pneumonia / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000276:immunology; D011650:Pulmonary Alveoli; D007507:Therapeutic Irrigation
D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D000914:Antibodies, Viral; D000956:Antigens, Viral