The Detection of Human Cytomegalovirus by Nucleic Acid Hybridization

Abstract

Human Cytomegalovirus is a member of the herpesvirus family which is responsible for a variety of clinically significant infections in immunocompromised individuals. Accurate diagnosis of infection requires viral detection which has traditionally been accomplished using tissue culture techniques. A nucleic acid hybridization virus detection assay has recently been developed. This thesis evaluates the sensitivity and specificity limits of single-stranded RNA probes labeled with either biotin or ³²phosphorus for detecting CMV DNA.