Comparison of polyethylene glycol precipitation and ultracentrifugation for recovery of cytomegalovirus from urine prior to detection of DNA by dot-blot hybridisation.

Polyethylene glycol (PEG) precipitation provided a useful alternative to ultracentrifugation for recovering cytomegalovirus (CMV) from clinical specimens prior to DNA hybridisation studies. The conditions for use of PEG are described. In a study of 61 urine samples from patients suspected of CMV infection 18 yielded a positive DNA hybridisation result. Fifteen were positive after both concentration procedures, two after PEG precipitation only and one after ultracentrifugation only. The DNA hybridisation results are discussed in the light of the results of virus isolation by cell culture.