Cell culture-PCR technique for detection of infectious cytomegalovirus in peripheral blood

We determined the efficacy of PCR for the direct detection of infectious cytomegalovirus (CMV) in specimen-inoculated MRC-5 tube cultures (cell culture-PCR [CC-PCR]). Parallel testing was performed by a shell vial assay-indirect immunofluorescence assay (SVA-IFA) and isolation (conventional MRC tube cultures [TC-CPE]. The sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values for CC-PCR, SVA-IFA, and TC-CPE were 81, 99, 94, and 94%, 86, 100, 100, and 96%, and 77, 100, 100, and 93%, respectively. Future application of CC-PCR may be directed toward its use as a screening tool for cytomegalovirus genotypic variants.