Description
Ten to forty percent of the patients with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) develop cytomegalovirus (CMV) infections. In some patients with AIDS, cytomegalovirus is detected in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF), urine, and other specimens, even when there are no symptoms of cytomegalovirus disease. An indicator of active CMV infection is needed to facilitate the diagnosis of cytomegalovirus disease in patients with AIDS or HIV infection. Cytomegalovirus p65 antigen was detected in the leukocytes of both the peripheral blood and BALF during the early phase of CMV disease