Detection of cytomegalovirus-infected cells by flow cytometry and fluorescence in suspension hybridisation (FLASH) using DNA probes labeled with biotin by polymerase chain reaction.

A biotin-labeled DNA probe specific for the immediate early gene of the cytomegalovirus (CMV) strain AD 169 was generated with the polymerase chain reaction. Nucleic acid hybridisation was carried out with CMV-infected T-lymphoblastoid cells (MOLT-4) after 4 hr to 6 days of culture. Biotin molecules were made visible with streptavidin coupled with fluorescein. The fluorescence signal of the hybridised probe was measured by flow cytometry in the cell suspension. The number of CMV-positive cells was 7% at 4 hr, 8% after 28 hr, 18% after 2 days, 26% after 3 days, 91% after 4 days, 97% after 5 days, and 98% after 6 days. The first detection of CMV antigen (pp65) was possible with immunoenzymatic labeling by day 4, whereas CMV-DNA was detected by PCR after 4 hr. CMV-specific RNA could be detected in a similar way. The analysis of mononuclear peripheral blood leukocytes in a patient with active CMV infection showed 14.7% CMV DNA-positive cells at day 1 and 7% at day 8, as compared to 0.9% and 0.0% cells which were positive for CMV antigen (pp65) by immunoenzymatic labeling at day 1 and day 8, respectively. We conclude that flow cytometry and fluorescence in suspension hybridisation (FLASH) offers a new tool for analysing exactly and quantifying large numbers of cells for specific DNA or RNA and may be useful for other laboratory and clinical applications.