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Journal of Clinical Microbiology, March 1998, p. 638-640, Vol. 36, No. 3
0095-1137/98/$04.00+0
Copyright © 1998, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.

Rapid Cytomegalovirus pp65 Antigenemia Assay by Direct Erythrocyte Lysis and Immunofluorescence Staining

Stephen K. N. Ho, Chi-Yuen Lo, Ignatius K. P. Cheng, and Tak-Mao Chan*

Division of Nephrology, Department of Medicine, Queen Mary Hospital, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong

Received 22 September 1997/Returned for modification 5 November 1997/Accepted 15 December 1997

A rapid cytomegalovirus (CMV) pp65 antigenemia assay with direct erythrocyte lysis (DL) with 0.8% NH4Cl, followed by indirect immunofluorescence staining (IF), was evaluated with 82 blood samples from renal transplant recipients, and the results were compared to those of the conventional antigenemia assay with dextran sedimentation and two-cycle alkaline phosphatase, anti-alkaline phosphatase staining (DS-APAAP). The DL-IF modification gave a higher leukocyte yield compared to DS-APAAP (75.4 versus 54.9%; P < 0.05), with similar leukocyte viability rates of >95%. The DL-IF methodology involved fewer technical steps, and the assay time was shortened from 5 h to less than 3 h. Nineteen of the 82 samples concordantly tested positive for pp65 antigenemia by both assays, and the readings showed a good correlation (r = 0.996; P < 0.01). No discordant results were observed. We conclude that the CMV pp65 antigenemia assay by this novel DL-IF modification is technically simpler, cheaper, and less time-consuming but yields results comparable to those of the conventional DS-APAAP assay. The shortened assay time and increased capacity to handle more samples confer distinct advantages in the rapid diagnosis and prompt treatment of CMV disease in immunosuppressed patients.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Division of Nephrology, Department of Medicine, Queen Mary Hospital, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong. Phone: (852) 2855 4041. Fax: (852) 2872 5828. E-mail: DTMCHAN{at}hkucc.hku.hk.

Journal of Clinical Microbiology, March 1998, p. 638-640, Vol. 36, No. 3
0095-1137/98/$04.00+0
Copyright © 1998, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.


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Antimicrob. Agents Chemother. Clin. Microbiol. Rev.
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Copyright © 1998 by the American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.