title: PCR with the aqueous humor, blood leukocytes and vitreous of patients affected by cytomegalovirus retinitis and immune recovery uveitis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To detect the cytomegalovirus (CMV) genome by PCR in the aqueous humor, blood leukocytes and vitreous of patients affected by retinitis and immune recovery uveitis (IRU).
  
  
  METHODS
  A PCR for CMV genome detection was carried out with the aqueous humor, vitreous and blood leukocytes of 54 patients with retinitis, including 25 HIV-infected patients presenting CMV retinitis in different stages (active lesion 6 cases, healed lesion 14 cases and IRU 5 cases), and 29 non-HIV-infected patients (retinitis unrelated to CMV) as negative controls.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The CMV genome was detected in the vitreous, aqueous humor and blood leukocytes of 3 out of 6 HIV-infected patients, presenting active lesions in the retina. No CMV genome was detected in the vitreous, aqueous humor and blood leukocytes of the 5 HIV-infected patients presenting IRU.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  CMV genome detection by PCR in aqueous humor could be used as a specific and highly predictive technique for confirmation of this infection in the retina. The absence of CMV, based on the results of PCR done in clinical samples of the 5 IRU cases, does not confirm the hypothesis of a viral replication in the vitreous body and aqueous humor of these patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, São Paulo University, Ribeirão Preto, Brazil. cerv@unorpnet.com.br
authors.forename: Rubens Camargo
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Siqueira
authors.forename: Aldo
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Cunha
authors.forename: Fernando
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Oréfice
authors.forename: Wesley Ribeiro
authors.initials: WR
authors.lastname: Campos
authors.forename: Luiz Tadeu M
authors.initials: LT
authors.lastname: Figueiredo
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001082:Aqueous Humor / Q000821:virology*; D001773:Blood Cells / Q000821:virology; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003587:Cytomegalovirus / Q000235:genetics*; D017726:Cytomegalovirus Retinitis / Q000150:complications / Q000821:virology*; D005260:Female; D016679:Genome, Viral; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000150:complications; D006801:Humans; D007962:Leukocytes / Q000821:virology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D014605:Uveitis / Q000276:immunology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000821:virology*; D014822:Vitreous Body / Q000821:virology*