title: Analysis of acquired human cytomegalovirus infections by polymerase chain reaction.
abstract: We used the polymerase chain reaction and primers corresponding to three regions of the human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) genome to study HCMVs isolated from 16 children attending a single day-care center and the father of two children in the same center. When we analyzed isolates with primers for the pp65 and major immediate-early genes, we observed nearly uniform amplification yielding products of predicted sizes. By contrast, primers for the a sequence demonstrated variability among HCMV strains, supporting the use of these primers as an epidemiologic tool. Analysis of a-sequence products from two isolates demonstrated 50 to 70% nucleotide homology with the a sequence of HCMV Towne strain DNA. We observed 95% nucleotide homology for the two a-sequence products derived from the father-child pair. Analysis of day-care center isolates indicated that two children excreted two distinct HCMV strains during the study interval.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, University of Iowa College of Medicine, Iowa City 52242.
authors.forename: J F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Bale
authors.forename: M E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: O'Neil
authors.forename: S S
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Fowler
authors.forename: J R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Murph
mesh_terms: D001483:Base Sequence; D003587:Cytomegalovirus / Q000235:genetics*; D003586:Cytomegalovirus Infections / Q000382:microbiology*; D004262:DNA Restriction Enzymes; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000032:analysis*; D006801:Humans; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012689:Sequence Homology, Nucleic Acid
chemical_list: D004269:DNA, Bacterial; D004262:DNA Restriction Enzymes