La détection immunohistochimique de la phosphoprotéine 65 kDa du cytomégalovirus humain dans les noyaux des polynucléaires du sang périphérique : un marqueur de réactivation et de dissémination

Abstract

The cytomegalovirus antigenemia test is based on immunocytochemical detection of HCMV early-late structural protein pp65 in the nuclei of polymorphonuclear blood leukocytes of patients with systemic infection. Specificity and sensitivity are better than 90 %. There is a good positive correlation with HCMV disease, allowing an improved monitoring in patients undergoing chemotherapy. Detection of viremia by HCMV isolation, DNAemia by PCR amplification, pp65 antigenemia by immunocytochemical methods, immediate early antigen production in the different leukocyte subpopulations, all suggests that polymorphonuclear cells may be a main site of initial HCMV infection, reactivation and dissemination.