Comparison of Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction and Pp65 Antigen Assay for Monitoring the Development of Cytomegalovirus Disease in Recipients of Kidney Transplant



Komeijani M¹ ; Kardi MT² ; Javadirad SM³ ; Naghshineh N⁴ ; Rezaei M¹ ; Hemmati S⁵ ; Sichani AH³ Show Affiliations
Source: Journal of Isfahan Medical School Published:2012

Abstract

Background: Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) is a member of herpes virus family and its early diagnosis could be very critical in kidney transplant patients. The clinical manifestations of HCMV infection include a wide range from tissue rejection to death. The aim of this study was to compare the accuracy of two common methods of HCMV monitoring, i.e. real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and pp65 antigen assay. Methods: We extracted the genomic DNA of 135 kidney transplant patients from their whole blood. HCMV monitoring was performed using TaqMan scanning probes and pp65 surface antigen detection by real-time PCR and pp65 antigen assay, respectively. Findings: According to our results, real-time PCR and pp65 antigen assay showed positive results in 36 (27%) and 29 patients (21%), respectively. In addition, the maximum and minimum rates of infection with HCMV were detected in spring (28%) and winter (16%), respectively. However, no significant association was established between HCMV infection and seasonal patterns. Conclusion: Our results indicated that real-time PCR was more accurate than pp65 antigen assay to detect HCMV infection in kidney transplant patients. We could also show that the maximum rate of infections with HCMV belonged to spring. However, the rates in the 4 seasons were not significantly different.