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Journal of Clinical Microbiology, April 1999, p. 958-963, Vol. 37, No. 4
Mt. Sinai Hospital,1
Princess Margaret Hospital,2 The
Toronto Hospital,7 and University of
Toronto,3 Toronto, Ontario, Canada;
Mount Zion Medical Center4 and
University of California,5 San
Francisco, California; and Cleveland Clinic Foundation,
Cleveland, Ohio6
Received 25 June 1998/Returned for modification 2 September
1998/Accepted 15 January 1999
We compared the Digene Hybrid Capture CMV DNA Assay version 2.0, the pp65 antigenemia assay, traditional tube culture, and shell vial
culture for the detection of cytomegalovirus (CMV) viremia in several
patient populations at three centers. Of 561 blood specimens collected
from 402 patients, complete clinical and laboratory data were available
for 489. Using consensus definitions for true positives and true
negatives, the sensitivities of the Hybrid Capture assay, antigenemia,
shell vial, and tube culture were 95, 94, 43, and 46%, respectively.
The specificities of the Hybrid Capture assay and antigenemia were 95 and 94%, respectively. At all three study sites, the detected level of
CMV viremia was significantly higher with the Hybrid Capture assay or
antigenemia than with shell vial and tube culture. In a group of 131 healthy nonimmunosuppressed volunteers, the Hybrid Capture assay
demonstrated a specificity of over 99%. The Hybrid Capture assay is a
standardized assay that is simple to perform and can utilize whole
blood specimens that have been stored for up to 48 h. The high
sensitivity and specificity of the Hybrid Capture assay along with its
simplicity and flexibility make it a clinically useful assay for the
detection of CMV viremia in immunocompromised or immunosuppressed
patients. Further evaluation to determine its role in predicting CMV
disease and for monitoring the therapeutic response to anti-CMV therapy is needed.
0095-1137/99/$04.00+0
Copyright © 1999, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.
Multicenter Comparison of the Digene Hybrid Capture CMV DNA Assay
(Version 2.0), the pp65 Antigenemia Assay, and Cell Culture for
Detection of Cytomegalovirus Viremia
*
Corresponding author. Mailing address: Department of
Microbiology, Mount Sinai Hospital, 600 University Ave., Toronto,
Ontario M5G 1X5, Canada. Phone: (416) 586-4695. Fax: (416) 586-8746. E-mail: tmazzulli{at}mtsinai.on.ca.
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