Detection of cytomegalovirus infections by PCR in renal transplant patients

Cytomegalovirus (CMV) is the single most important infectious agent affecting recipients of organ transplants. To evaluate the incidence and the clinical importance of CMV infection in renal transplants in Brazil, 37 patients submitted to renal allograft transplants were tested periodically for the presence of cytomegalovirus DNA in urine using the polymerase chain reaction (PCR), and for the presence of IgM and IgG antibodies against CMV by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and indirect immunofluorescence (IIF). The PCR-amplified products were detected by gel electrophoresis and confirmed by dot-blot hybridization with oligonucleotide probes. Thirty-two of the 37 patients (86.4%) were positive by at least one of the three methods. In six patients, PCR was the only test which detected the probable CMV infection. Ten patients had a positive result by PCR before transplantation. In general, the diagnosis was achieved earlier by PCR than by serologic tests. Active infection occurred more frequently during the first four months after transplantation. Sixteen of the 32 patients (50%) with active CMV infection presented clinical symptoms consistent with CMV infection. Five patients without evidence of active CMV infection by the three tests had only minor clinical manifestations during follow-up. Our results indicate that PCR is a highly sensitive procedure for the early detection of CMV infection and that CMV infection in renal transplant patients is a frequent problem in Brazil

ADOLF WEBER. Ober Bodenrente und Bodenspekulation in der modemen Stadt. Leipzig 1904. Duncker & Humblot. (XV + 211 S. — Mk. 4.40).

Cytomegalovirus (CMV) is the single most important infectious agent affecting recipients of organ transplants. To evaluate the incidence and the clinical importance of CMV infection in renal transplants in Brazil, 37 patients submitted to renal allograft transplants were tested periodically for the presence of cytomegalovirus DNA in urine using the polymerase chain reaction (PCR), and for the presence of IgM and IgG antibodies against CMV by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and indirect immunofluorescence (IIF). The PCR-amplified products were detected by gel electrophoresis and confirmed by dot-blot hybridization with oligonucleotide probes. Thirty-two of the 37 patients (86.4%) were positive by at least one of the three methods. In six patients, PCR was the only test which detected the probable CMV infection. Ten patients had a positive result by PCR before transplantation. In general, the diagnosis was achieved earlier by PCR than by serologic tests. Active infection occurred more frequently during the first four months after transplantation. Sixteen of the 32 patients (50%) with active CMV infection presented clinical symptoms consistent with CMV infection. Five patients without evidence of active CMV infection by the three tests had only minor clinical manifestations during follow-up. Our results indicate that PCR is a highly sensitive procedure for the early detection of CMV infection and that CMV infection in renal transplant patients is a frequent problem in Brazil

Rapid Identification Of The Association Of Hemoglobin D Punjab And Hemoglobin S (hbd Punjab/hbs) By The Polymerase Chain Reaction

Hemoglobin D-Punjab has been observed in several ethnic groups, either in heterozygosis or in association with Hb S or β-thalassemia. In this report, we describe the case of a 10 year-old Black Brazilian girl who presented the classical, clinical and hematological features of sickle cell disease, but whose hemoglobin electrophoretic profile suggested the association Hb S/Hb D. The Hb D mutation was confirmed by EcoRI digestion of the PCR amplified β globin gene and by sequencing of the resulting fragment. The mutation involves a simple base change at codon 121 which eliminates a normal EcoRI site. The abnormal gene can be detected by agarose gel electrophoresis. This finding represents the second proven case of Hb S/Hb D association in Brazil. We suggest that Hb D should be investigated by PCR techniques in sickle cell disease patients presenting an anomalous hemoglobin electrophoretic profile.1641103110

Hb Koln [α2β298(fg5) Val-met] Identified By Dna Analysis In A Brazilian Family

Hb Koln was identified by DNA analysis in a Brazilian patient. A four-year old Brazilian female, with jaundice since birth, presented an abnormal band, between A2 and S, in hemoglobin electrophoresis on a cellulose acetate membrane, and a band with electrophoretic migration similar to Hb C on agar gel. Thermic instability and isopropanol precipitation tests were positive. Heinz bodies were observed in the patient's peripheral blood. Sequencing of the three exons of the β globin gene detected a transition from G to A in the first position of codon 98. This alteration does not create or abolish any known restriction site. In this case, confirmation of the mutation was accomplished by allele-specific oligonucleotide hybridization, which is a simple and fast identification method when the clinical data and hematological and electrophoretic patterns are suggestive of Hb Koln.20474574

β(s)-gene-cluster Haplotypes In Sickle Cell Anemia Patients From Two Regions Of Brazil [4]

[No abstract available]451969