Detection of cytomegalovirus antigen and antibodies in the urine of small infants and children.

The diagnostic efficacy of an enzyme immune assay to detect cytomegalovirus (CMV) antigen in the urine of infected infants and children was determined, and the effect that CMV-specific antibodies present in the urine have on the sensitivity of the test was ascertained. The antigen was detected in 84.4% of the CMV-culture-positive samples, while CMV-specific IgA was detected in 24% of CMV-culture-positive specimens. The absence of CMV-specific IgA correlated with detection of CMV antigen in the CMV-culture-positive urine specimens (p less than 0.05).