CMV infection of liver transplant recipients: comparison of antigenemia and molecular biology assays.
BACKGROUND
CMV is a major clinical problem in transplant recipients. Thus, it is important to use sensitive and specific diagnostic techniques to rapidly and accurately detect CMV infection and identify patients at risk of developing CMV disease. In the present study, CMV infection after liver transplantation was monitored retrospectively by two molecular biology assays - a quantitative PCR assay and a qualitative NASBA assay. The results were compared with those obtained by prospective pp65 antigenemia determinations.


METHODS
87 consecutive samples from 10 liver transplanted patients were tested for CMV by pp65 antigenemia, and CMV monitor and NASBA pp67 mRNA assay.


RESULTS
CMV infection was detected in all patients by antigenemia and CMV monitor, whereas NASBA assay identified only 8/10 patients with viremia. Furthermore, CMV infection was never detected earlier by molecular biology assays than by antigenemia. Only 5/10 patients with CMV infection developed CMV disease. Using a cut off value of 8 cells/50,000, antigenemia was found to be the assay that better identified patients at risk of developing CMV disease. However, the kinetics of the onset of infection detected by NASBA and CMV monitor seemed to have better identified patients at risk of developing CMV disease. Furthermore, before onset of disease, CMV pp67 mRNA was found to have similar or better negative and positive predictive values for the development of CMV disease.


CONCLUSIONS
The present data, suggests that the concomitant use of antigenemia and pp67 mRNA assay gives the best identification of patients at risk of developing CMV disease.
Amorim
M L
ML
Molecular Biology Unit, Microbiology Service, Hospital Geral de Santo António, R, D, Manuel II, 4099-001 Porto, Portugal. mlamorim@net.sapo.pt
Cabeda
J M
JM
Seca
R
R
Mendes
A C
AC
Castro
A P
AP
Amorim
J M
JM
D000328:Adult; D000956:Antigens, Viral; D003587:Cytomegalovirus / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification; D003586:Cytomegalovirus Infections / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016031:Liver Transplantation / Q000009:adverse effects*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010750:Phosphoproteins / Q000032:analysis* / Q000235:genetics; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000821:virology; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000032:analysis; D013223:Statistics as Topic; D014763:Viral Matrix Proteins / Q000032:analysis* / Q000235:genetics
D000956:Antigens, Viral; D010750:Phosphoproteins; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D014763:Viral Matrix Proteins; C065418:cytomegalovirus matrix protein 65kDa; C464963:pp67 protein, human cytomegalovirus