Immunological methods for the detection of human cytomegalovirus

Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV), a double-stranded DNA virus in the herpesvirus family, is a ubiquitous virus that infects greater than 40-60% of the general population and up to 100% within some subpopulations and/or geographic areas (1). HCMV has a complex pathobiology because infection of immunocompetent individuals is rarely associated with severe clinical symptoms and in most cases is simply asymptomatic, whereas HCMV infections can cause a wide range of severe diseases, including mononucleosis, mental retardation, deafness, chorioretinitis, and fatal diseases, such as interstitial pneumonia and disseminated virus infections in immunocom-promised hosts (1). As with other herpesviruses, HCMV is thought to establish latent or persistent infections. Reactivation of this infection is frequently encountered during pregnancy and in organ transplant and acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) patients (1). In addition, HCMV has been implicated as a co-etiological agent in cervical cancer (2) and has been found associated with a wide range of other tumors (1). More recently, HCMV has also been shown to be epidemiologically linked to restenosis (3-5) and atherosclerosis (5,6). The severity of these HCMV-associated diseases warrants an accurate ability to detect and diagnose persons with HCMV, especially because of the clinical availability of the anti-HCMV agents, ganciclovir and foscarnet, which have been used successfully to treat patients with HCMV viremia.