CMV retinitis treated with ganciclovir [9(1,3-dihydroxy-2-propoxymethyl) guanine] in patients with AIDS

Three patients with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) and disseminated cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection were treated with a new antiviral agent ganciclovir [9(1,3-dihydroxy-2-propoxymethyl) guanine] (DHPG). All initially showed dramatic clinical improvement. In two patients, serial ophthalmoscopic evaluations documented cessation of active retinitis although at autopsy one patient had evidence of active retinitis adjacent to scar. Reappearance of cotton-wool spots in the fundi of the third patient suggested an early relapse of his CMV infection which was halted by retreatment with ganciclovir. Two of the three patients developed breakthrough infection while receiving once-daily maintenance therapy after periods of three to five months. One patient continued to show a response to retreatment with full doses twelve months later but died after 17 months of progressive CMV disease. The dose of the drug needed to maintain remission requires further study.