Active cytomegalovirus particles in the eyes of an AIDS patient being treated with 9-[2-hydroxy-1-(hydroxymethyl) ethoxymethyl] guanine (Ganciclovir).

The eyes of an AIDS patient with cytomegalovirus (CMV) retinitis and pneumonitis who died while receiving maintenance therapy with the antiviral agent 9-[2-hydroxy-1-(hydroxymethyl) ethoxymethyl] guanine (Ganciclovir) were obtained for pathological examination. While under treatment the patient had significant improvement but not complete regression of retinitis. Electron microscopic and immunofluorescent techniques revealed cytomegalovirus particles in the retina, sclera, iris, and ciliary body. These findings are consistent with a virostatic type of inhibition of CMV by this agent. They also suggest that CMV involvement in the eye and other organs may be more widespread than is clinically apparent in AIDS patients.