Therapeutic implication of quantitative pp65 antigen assay in living renal transplant in a high seroendemic population.
Various methods have been used to diagnose cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection/disease; however, pp65 antigenemia assay has emerged as a good marker for CMV disease in a high seroendemic population. We studied the role of quantitative pp65 antigen assay in live related renal transplant recipients in a high seroendemic population. Between November 1998 and May 2003, a total of 350 blood samples from 250 symptomatic patients were tested by quantitative pp65 antigen assay; 14% of the patients tested positive. There were 5 (14%) low-positive and 30 (86%) high-positive patients. All high-positive patients had CMV disease. The response to antiviral therapy monitored by the assay was dramatic, and one low-positive patient responded to reduction in immunosuppression. In conclusion, pp65 antigen assay is a good test for diagnosing CMV disease and monitoring response to antiviral therapy in a high seroendemic population.
Minz
R W
RW
Department of Immunopathology, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, India. drrminz@hotmail.com
Minz
M
M
Kashyap
R
R
Heer
M
M
Udgiri
N
N
Joshi
K
K
Sakhuja
V K
VK
D003586:Cytomegalovirus Infections / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D007194:India / Q000453:epidemiology; D016030:Kidney Transplantation / Q000009:adverse effects*; D019520:Living Donors; D010750:Phosphoproteins / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014763:Viral Matrix Proteins / Q000302:isolation & purification*
D010750:Phosphoproteins; D014763:Viral Matrix Proteins; C065418:cytomegalovirus matrix protein 65kDa