Quantitation of human cytomegalovirus DNA from peripheral blood cells of human immunodeficiency virus-infected patients could predict cytomegalovirus retinitis.
Human cytomegalovirus (CMV) DNA copy number in white blood cells from both human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-seronegative and HIV-seropositive patients was amplified from the immediate-early region of CMV DNA and quantified by colorimetric detection of the hybridization of the amplification product to a detector oligonucleotide probe in microtiter wells. By Mann-Whitney U test, significantly higher (P < .05, two-tailed) copy numbers of CMV DNA were detected in HIV-seropositive patients with retinitis than in either patients with < 100 CD4 cells/mm3 and no symptomatic CMV disease or HIV-seropositive patients with > 100 CD4 cells/mm3. By prospective monitoring for increases in CMV DNA copy number, it may be possible to identify HIV-seropositive patients who are at imminent risk for development of symptomatic CMV retinitis.
Rasmussen
L
L
Stanford University School of Medicine, Center for AIDS Research, California.
Morris
S
S
Zipeto
D
D
Fessel
J
J
Wolitz
R
R
Dowling
A
A
Merigan
T C
TC
D017088:AIDS-Related Opportunistic Infections / Q000175:diagnosis*; D001483:Base Sequence; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D018791:CD4 Lymphocyte Count; D003587:Cytomegalovirus / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D017726:Cytomegalovirus Retinitis / Q000175:diagnosis*; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000097:blood*; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000821:virology*; D018023:HIV Seronegativity; D006801:Humans; D007962:Leukocytes / Q000821:virology*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009693:Nucleic Acid Hybridization; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012307:Risk Factors; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity
D015415:Biomarkers; D004279:DNA, Viral