title: Rapid detection of cytomegalovirus structures in cerebrospinal fluid and brain biopsies by polymerase chain reaction.
abstract: The joint application of stereotactic brain biopsy and DNA amplification methods, like the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) are diagnostic purposes that allows in approximately 24 h to clarify the viral etiology of central nervous system infections. We demonstrate PCR results from the brain biopsy of an HIV-1 patient with two cerebral lesions. Beside the neuropathological diagnosis of a B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma the experimental results are indicative of active transcription of cytomegalovirus (CMV) in cerebral tissue. The markedly higher amount of CMV-specific RNA found in the biopsy specimens and CSF suggest the presence of an active infection with viral replication. CT-guided stereotactic brain biopsies followed by PCR fulfill the demands of a clinician, namely to get the results as fast as possible to initiate adequate treatment.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Klinikum Steglitz, Free University of Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rolfs
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001706:Biopsy; D001921:Brain / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000473:pathology; D002555:Cerebrospinal Fluid / Q000382:microbiology*; D003587:Cytomegalovirus / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D003586:Cytomegalovirus Infections / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid / Q000150:complications / Q000382:microbiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D011859:Radiography; D013238:Stereotaxic Techniques