Use of the cytomegalovirus (CMV) antigenemia assay for the rapid diagnosis of primary CMV infection in hospitalized adults.

We assessed the value of the cytomegalovirus (CMV) antigenemia assay for diagnosing primary CMV infection in adults. The CMV antigenemia assay was performed for 40 patients admitted to our unit over a 2-year period with unexplained fever and suspected primary CMV infection. Nine of the 10 patients with primary CMV infection had positive CMV antigenemia assays, and the results were available within 5 hours. All 10 patients had a mononucleosis-like syndrome. All but one of the 30 other patients had negative CMV antigenemia assays. A false-positive result was obtained for a patient with systemic lupus erythematosus. Overall, the CMV antigenemia assay was 90% sensitive and 96% specific for the diagnosis of primary CMV infection. Therefore, the CMV antigenemia assay appears to be a simple, rapid, inexpensive test for the diagnosis of primary CMV infection in hospitalized adults.