title: Detection of human cytomegalovirus DNA, RNA, and antibody in normal donor blood.
abstract: Peripheral blood samples from 313 normal donors were tested for prior human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) infection: 37%, 0.9%, and 43% of the samples were positive by antibody detection, DNA hybridization, and RNA hybridization assays, respectively. An early mRNA, which is transcribed from a HindIII-b fragment of the CMV genome and detected with an antisense RNA probe, can be detected more frequently than antibody and CMV DNA. The early CMV mRNA transcripts can be detected in the peripheral white blood cells in 44% of HCMV-seronegative blood donors. Blood samples that were CMV RNA positive but antibody negative comprised 27% of the tested samples. Whether CMV RNA in donor blood indicates that CMV can be transmitted via blood transfusion must be determined by further studies.
authors.affiliation: Division of Infectious Disease and Laboratory Medicine, Beth Israel Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts 02215.
authors.forename: L J
authors.initials: LJ
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Hanff
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Rutherford
authors.forename: W H
authors.initials: WH
authors.lastname: Churchill
authors.forename: C S
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Crumpacker
mesh_terms: D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000097:blood*; D001782:Blood Donors; D003587:Cytomegalovirus / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000097:blood*; D006801:Humans; D007841:Latex Fixation Tests; D008214:Lymphocytes / Q000821:virology; D015336:Molecular Probe Techniques; D015347:RNA Probes; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000097:blood*
chemical_list: D000914:Antibodies, Viral; D004279:DNA, Viral; D015347:RNA Probes; D012367:RNA, Viral