A rapid immunocytochemical assay for CMV detection in peripheral blood of organ-transplanted patients in clinical practice.

This study describes clinical experience with a rapid method for diagnosis of cytomegalovirus infection in organ-transplanted patients, based on the detection of CMV-specific antigens in peripheral polymorphonuclear cells with a mixture of monoclonal antibodies. This CMV-pp65 assay was formerly called the «CMV immediate early antigen assay.» A group of 180 organ-transplanted patients were examined with this assay; 75 of them could be observed from the date of transplantation. These 75 patients consisted of two groups: 59 kidney transplant patients receiving no CMV hyperimmunoglobulin prophylaxis (group I), 13 heart-transplanted patients, and 3 liver transplanted patients receiving prophylaxis (group II)