Detection of herpesvirus DNAs in perilymph obtained from patients with sensorineural hearing loss by real-time polymerase chain reaction.
OBJECTIVE
Perilymph and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from patients with bilateral severe sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) were evaluated for the presence of DNA from cytomegalovirus (CMV), herpes simplex virus (HSV), and human herpesvirus (HHV)6.


METHODS
A prospective clinical study.


METHODS
The subjects were 14 patients who underwent cochlear implantation and 1 patient who underwent gentamicin injection in the inner ear. We attempted to detect viral DNA from perilymph and PBMCs by real-time polymerase chain reaction (rtPCR).


RESULTS
CMV DNA was detected in two perilymph specimens obtained from patients who were diagnosed as congenitally symptomatic CMV infection, although no CMV DNA was detected in PBMCs. Neither HSV DNA nor HHV6 DNA was detected in any other perilymph specimens. CMV DNA was detected in three PBMC samples, HSV DNA was detected in two samples, and HHV6 DNA was detected in six samples.


CONCLUSIONS
CMV may persistently infect the inner ear of patients with congenital CMV infection, and rtPCR analysis may prove to be a valuable tool for investigating the etiology of SNHL.
Sugiura
Saiko
S
Department of Otolaryngology, Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya University, 65 Tsurumai-cho, Showa-ku, Nagoya, Aichi 466-8550, Japan. ksugiura@katch.ne.jp
Yoshikawa
Tetsushi
T
Nishiyama
Yukihiro
Y
Morishita
Yoshihiro
Y
Sato
Eisuke
E
Beppu
Reiko
R
Hattori
Taku
T
Nakashima
Tsutomu
T
D000328:Adult; D001483:Base Sequence; D002675:Child, Preschool; D015897:Comorbidity; D003587:Cytomegalovirus / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D003586:Cytomegalovirus Infections / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000032:analysis; D005260:Female; D006319:Hearing Loss, Sensorineural / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000821:virology*; D006566:Herpesviridae Infections / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010498:Perilymph / Q000821:virology; D011446:Prospective Studies; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D018139:Simplexvirus / Q000302:isolation & purification*
D004279:DNA, Viral