Cytomegalovirus detection by biotinylated DNA probes

✍ Scribed by S. M. Hussain Qadri; Mohammed N. Al-Ahdal; G. Yasmeen Khan

• Publisher: Springer-Verlag
• Year: 1989
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 393 KB
• Volume: 178
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0300-8584
• DOI: 10.1007/bf00198012

✦ Synopsis

Clinical specimens from 317 patients suspected of cytomeglovirus infection were examined by immunofluorescence (IF) using monoclonal antibodies and by a biotinylated DNA probe kit after cell culture isolation. Of the 317 samples, 68 were positive by culture isolation. Of these 67 were IF positive when the cytopathic effect (CPE) was 1 + or less, whereas 56 gave positive results with DNA probes when the CPE was 2 +. A further 83 specimens were examined directly by immunoperoxidase histopathology (IHP), IF and the DNA probe kit: 26 of these were positive by IHP examination, 25 by IF and only 6 by DNA probes. The sensitivity of the DNA probe kit was not satisfactory when the clinical tissue specimens were directly examined. However, the sensitivity improved considerably to 82% if the specimens were propagated first in cell culture. The IF method detected the virus before and after cell culture isolation equally well (96%-98.5%). Compared to the IF method, the DNA probe kit is costly and requires more labor and time.