Specific IgE detected by ELISA and immunoblot after human cytomegalovirus infection (HCMV) in renal transplant (RT) recipients.
BACKGROUND
Specific HCMV IgE response has been reported by some authors, and was proposed as a valuable virologic marker of CMV infection.


OBJECTIVE
we evaluated specific HCMV IgE in renal transplant patients with active (primary and secondary) HCMV infection with special interest to symptomatic infections.


METHODS
Specific IgE was tested retrospectively by ELISA and immunoblot (IB) on sera of 55 RT patients who were followed before and after transplantation with virologic markers of CMV infection.


RESULTS
Total serum IgE levels were similar in control group and in patients with primary and secondary HCMV infections. Anti-CMV specific IgE response by ELISA was more frequently found in patients with primary infection (76.9%) than in patients with secondary infection (47.1%). These specific IgE reacted on immunoblot with a 150 kDa protein in 84.6% of patients with primary infection and 94.1% with secondary infections; and reacted with rp52 (pUL44) in 76.9% of primary infection and 47.1% of secondary infection.


CONCLUSIONS
Anti-CMV specific IgE tested by immunoblot and ELISA is a marker of CMV infection. It was clearly detected in cases of active infection (primary and secondary) and was present in cases with severe CMV clinical manifestations. In contrast, anti-CMV specific IgE, was consistently negative among healthy blood donors. This is the first report of CMV proteins detected by IgE immunoblot.
Vargas
M A
MA
Department of Virology, Catholic University of Louvain, 30/55 Clos Chapelle aux Champs, 1200 Brussels, Belgium.
Bertrand
F
F
Mulongo
K N
KN
Squifflet
J P
JP
Lamy
M E
ME