The sensitivity and specificity of the early antigen immunofluorescence test and of the hybridization assay were compared with those of the development of a cytopathic effect on HF MA 23 cell monolayers in tissue culture. Of 818 clinical specimens tested, 125 specimens produced CMV cytopathic effect in tissue culture within four weeks after inoculation. Of the 125 specimens, 71 were positive for CMV after 36 h by early antigen immunofluorescence test (sensitivity 56.8%). Of the remaining 693 culture-negative specimens, seven were positive by early antigen immunofluorescence test (specificity, 99%). A hybridization assay using a commercial kit with the biotinylated Bam H I AB DNA fragment of HCMV Towne strain and horseradish peroxidase streptavidin conjugate, detected 60 pg of HCMV DNA. In this assay 104 urine specimens were tested. Compared with tissue culture, this hybridization assay had a sensitivity of 69.5%, a specificity of 60.3% and a correlation of 63.4%, at which 25 of 33 tissue culture positive samples had positive hybridization results, and 27 of 68 tissue culture negative samples also gave positive hybridization results. An additional hybridization assay, using the biotinylated Hind III L fragment of HCMV AD 169 and 125J streptavidin conjugate, detected 30 pg HCMV DNA. In 179 urine specimens simultaneously tested by tissue culture, 28 of 33 positive tissue culture specimens were positive in the hybridization assay. 37 of 146 negative tissue culture specimens gave positive hybridization signals (sensitivity 84.8%, specificity 74.7%, correlation 76.5%).

Culture Techniques↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Prevalence of antibodies to human herpesvirus 6 in different age groups, in children with exanthema subitum, other acute exanthematous childhood diseases, Kawasaki syndrome, and acute infections with other herpesviruses and HIV.

We determined IgG antibodies against Human Herpesvirus-6 (strain Uganda 1102, M. D. Griffin, London) in the indirect immunofluorescence test in sera from 1105 persons of various age groups. Of these sera 570 were retested using HHV-6 strain St. W. (Prof. Schneweis, Bonn). We could confirm that maternal antibodies decrease between birth and six months of age and the seropositive rate rises rapidly between seven months and five years of age up to 79.5%. Between six and ten years and up to 40 years, the antibody-positive rate lies around 81.3% and 66%, respectively. To confirm the causal nature of human herpes virus type 6 (HHV-6) for exanthema subitum we could demonstrate eight seroconversions testing sera from 14 patients with roseola infantum. In addition, the virus was isolated from peripheral blood lymphocytes of children during the acute fever phase in four cases in tissue culture and in six cases the virus was detected by positive hybridization. In single and some paired sera from patients with acute exanthematous diseases, rubella (n = 28), parvovirus B 19 (n = 24), measles (n = 17), mumps (n = 27), adenovirus (n = 27) and parinfluenza virus type 3 (n = 28) and in sera from patients with Kawasaki syndrome (n = 20), acute varicella-zoster- (n = 27), acute herpes simplex- (n = 18) and HIV-1 infection (n = 50), we found no HHV-6 IgM antibodies and no HHV-6 IgG antibody rises. We could only demonstrate an HHV-6 seropositive rate according to our age-prevalence study.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Acute Disease↗