Quantification of human cytomegalovirus DNA by a new capture hybrid polymerase chain reaction enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay in plasma and peripheral blood mononuclear cells of bone marrow transplant recipients.
OBJECTIVE
Quantitative monitoring of human cytomegalovirus infections is helpful in determining appropriate antiviral management in patients who receive bone marrow transplants. We sought to design and evaluate a new cytomegalovirus capture hybrid polymerase chain reaction enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (PCR-ELISA) in plasma and peripheral blood mononuclear cells to monitor cytomegalovirus infection in bone marrow transplant recipients.


METHODS
Twenty-six patients who received allogeneic bone marrow transplants, including 17 male patients and 9 female patients (9 adults, 17 children), were enrolled in this study. A total of 313 consecutive whole blood specimens, before and from 7 to 120 days after transplant, was evaluated in the study. A newly designed biotinylated probe-mediated quantitative competitive PCR-ELISA test was used to determine cytomegalovirus load in specimens of peripheral blood mononuclear cells and plasma.


RESULTS
All 26 patients were cytomegalovirus seropositive before transplant. Capture hybrid PCR-ELISA of peripheral blood mononuclear cells detected cytomegalovirus DNA in 287 of 313 specimens (91.7%) even in cases with no active cytomegalovirus infection. In plasma, cytomegalovirus DNA was detected in 114 of 313 specimens (36.4%). Increasing titers of cytomegalovirus DNA were detected in 14 of 26 patients (53.8%).


CONCLUSIONS
The quantitative capture hybrid PCR-ELISA was able to diagnose and monitor cytomegalovirus infection in patients who received bone marrow transplants. Detection of cytomegalovirus DNA in plasma was more predictive of the onset of cytomegalovirus-related clinical symptoms, compared to detection in peripheral blood mononuclear cells.
Ziyaeyan
Mazyar
M
Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Namazi Hospital, Shiraz, Iran.
Sabahi
Farzaneh
F
Alborzi
Abdolvahab
A
Ramzi
Mani
M
Mahboudi
Fereidoun
F
Pourabbas
Bahman
B
Kadivar
Mohammad
M