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Cytomegalovirus infection: detection of cytomegalovirus
Medical expert of the article
Last reviewed: 04.07.2025
Detection of virus particles in the patient's blood using PCR is used to diagnose cytomegalovirus infection and monitor the effectiveness of antiviral treatment. Unlike serological methods for diagnosing cytomegalovirus infection, which detect antibodies to cytomegalovirus, PCR allows one to detect the presence of cytomegalovirus itself and quantify its concentration in the blood serum. Detection of cytomegalovirus is of great importance in the diagnosis of perinatal pathology.
Intrauterine and perinatal transmission of cytomegalovirus can have serious consequences. Cytomegalovirus infection during pregnancy often occurs in a subclinical form and is accompanied by relatively mild symptoms. PCR in such cases allows identifying the etiologic factor of the disease. The material for the study can be urine sediment cells (newborns), cervical canal epithelium of sick women, amniotic fluid, scrapings from the conjunctiva of the eyes and urogenital tract, saliva, liver punctures.
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