Usefulness of pp65 antigenemia and viremia in the follow-up of renal transplant recipients with cytomegalovirus disease treated with ganciclovir.
We prospectively evaluated the usefulness of the pp65 antigenemia assay (AGA) and viremia (isolation) in the follow-up of 15 renal transplant recipients with a cytomegalovirus disease treated with ganciclovir. The AGA was performed with the extraction of PMNL with saline dextran, and the viremia detected by the inoculation of them in the MRC-5 cell line (shell-vial). Sixty-nine blood samples were studied, and 55 (79.7%) positive AGA and 42 (60.8%) positive viremia detected. The AGA needed a median of 9 days to negativize, and the viremia only 4 days. In eight patients (53%) the AGA and viremia were negative simultaneously. In seven patients (47%) the viremia was negative before the AGA (median 10.7 days). In this group, three patients (43%) presented a paradoxal rising of the AGA values after the negativization of the viremia. For the follow-up of renal transplant recipients treated with ganciclovir, the viremia was the most useful method of control. The viremia was negative before the AGA in many patients, demonstrating the therapeutic efficacy of ganciclovir.
Reina
J
J
Virology Unit, Clinical Microbiology Service, University Hospital Son Dureta, Palma de Mallorca, Spain. jreina@hsd.es
Ballesteros
F
F
Gasco
J
J
Munar
M
M
Mari
M
M
D000998:Antiviral Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D003587:Cytomegalovirus / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D003586:Cytomegalovirus Infections / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000821:virology; D015774:Ganciclovir / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006801:Humans; D016030:Kidney Transplantation / Q000009:adverse effects*; D010750:Phosphoproteins / Q000097:blood*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014763:Viral Matrix Proteins / Q000097:blood*; D014766:Viremia / Q000821:virology
D000998:Antiviral Agents; D010750:Phosphoproteins; D014763:Viral Matrix Proteins; C065418:cytomegalovirus matrix protein 65kDa; D015774:Ganciclovir