The use of DNA probes in studies of human cytomegalovirus.

Hybridization assays provide a sensitive and rapid means for studying the molecular biology of viral replication and for identifying viral nucleic acid in biological specimens. Such assays are attractive because the detection of virus does not require intact virions or concomitant viral protein synthesis, both of which may be absent in a latently infected cell or in a virus-associated tumor. For molecular and clinical studies on human cytomegalovirus (HCMV), we have cloned and characterized subgenomic EcoRI fragments representative of the entire genome of HCMV strain AD169. To study the epidemiology of HCMV infections and to identify the presence of HCMV nucleic acid in urine, blood, Kaposi's sarcoma, and other tissues, we have used various hybridization techniques, including DNA dot/slot-blot hybridization, Southern blot hybridization, and in situ cytohybridization. These studies demonstrate how cloned molecular probes can be used to study the molecular biology, pathogenesis, and treatment of viral infections.