PCR detection of cytomegalovirus: a review

CMV is of major concern in immunocompromised and immunosuppressed patients. Since CMV can be transmitted by leucocyte transfusions from healthy seropositive donors (Hirsch, 1984) it has been stated that leucocytes are the natural reservoir of latent CMV (Jiwa et al, 1989). Although tissue culture is the method currently used for the diagnosis of CMV infection, this technique is time consuming, expensive and does not detect latent virus. As 80% of normal Australian blood donors are seropositive for CMV (Ho, 1990) the amount of blood available for high risk patients is greatly reduced. The dramatic gains in sensitivity of viral detection made possible by the PCR technique offers new hope for the detection of otherwise elusive latent genomes as well as more routine application in the detection of viraemia or other active infection. However, for this technique to be adopted by clinical laboratories it must be shown to be easily reproducible and cost-effective. Thus, the PCR may have an important role in the development of CMV-negative blood products, as well as being a powerful test in diagnostic virology. It is expected that it will reduce the morbidity and mortality rate in susceptible patients at risk of CMV when given transfusions of blood from subjects who may carry the virus.