Neonatal infections: virological follow-up of treatment

Object-In order to detect virological indexes of treatment efficacy in congenital and perinatal infections the data obtained from the virological follow-up of 11 congenitally and 8 perinatally in¬fectedlbabies were collected and the diagnostic results of treated (N.9) and untreated (N.10) patients were compared. Methodology-Samples of urine, saliva and peripheral blood leucocytes (PBL) were examined for the detection of infectious CMV by clas sical isolation in MRC5 cells and by quantitative p72 determination in mink lung fibroblasts. Antigenemia pp65 was also quantitated in PBL. CMV DNA was amplified by two nested PCR from serum or plasma samples. Results-Viremia p72 and antigenemia pp65 disappeared during treatment with DHPG. However after a single 14 days course as well as after a course of gammaglobulins a return of positivity was observed. Urine but not saliva samples were still positive both during and after the treatment. Conclusions-This study confirms in pediatric patients that the best indexes of virological efficacy of anti CMV treatment are pp65 antigenemia and p72 viremia. It also shows that short courses don't succed in stopping replication and sistemic spread of cytomegalovirus.