title: Detection of human cytomegalovirus in urine samples by cell culture, early antigen assay and polymerase chain reaction.
abstract: With the advent of effective therapy rapid, sensitive and reliable assays for diagnosis of human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) infections are required. In a total of 1,928 urine samples, detection of HCMV-immediate early antigen in a spin amplified microplate culture by a monoclonal antibody and immunoperoxidase staining (EA-assay) was compared with virus isolation in cell culture. Sensitivity of the EA assay was 85.5% and specificity was 99.5% compared with virus isolation. Overall agreement of both assays was 97.8%. In addition, in 235/1,928 urine samples amplification of HCMV-DNA was performed by means of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) using primers from the immediate early (IE1) gene region and 141/1,928 using primers from the late region (LA). The sensitivity of PCR compared with virus isolation was 67.8% for IE1 primers and 94.1% for LA primers (statistical significance: p < 0.01, Chi-square-test). Overall agreement between virus isolation and PCR was 88.5% for IE1-PCR and 84.4% for LA-PCR. Discordant results were more often found in adults with acute infection and immunocompromised patients than in infants.
authors.affiliation: Institut für Virologie, Infektiologie und Epidemiologie e.V., Medizinisch-diagnostisches Gemeinschaftslabor, Stuttgart, Germany.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Daiminger
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Schalasta
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Betzl
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Enders
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000956:Antigens, Viral / Q000032:analysis*; D001483:Base Sequence; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D003587:Cytomegalovirus / Q000276:immunology / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D017874:Immediate-Early Proteins / Q000032:analysis*; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D011247:Pregnancy; D014556:Urine / Q000382:microbiology*
chemical_list: D000956:Antigens, Viral; D017874:Immediate-Early Proteins; C044582:immediate-early proteins, cytomegalovirus