We have been looking for the fueling effects of cytomegalovirus on HIVpositive patients. patients serum was tested for CMV by PCR and ELISA for IgM. We found discrepant results, that IgM positives samples were negative for CMV-PCR, and CMV-PCR positives we also negative for IgM ELISA. What would the possible justification please? Which technique sounds good for such studies? how? Hopefully, your expertise will be helpful to our research.
thanks
Dear Alene,
Please note that it is not a must for ELISA positive results to have a PCR positive result and vice versa. The inability to detect CMV DNA in patients who were IgM positive might be due to the persistence of IgM antibodies for an extended period after primary infection. In addition, sometimes CMV IgM results might be false positive (better check the specificity of the kit used). The CMV PCR positivity coupled with ELISA IgM negativity might be explained due to the fact that the time lag between primary infection and IgM antibody production since IgM antibodies may remain undetectable because of delayed seroconversion.
So CMV DNA detection can be used as an indicator of the mere disease.
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