Effect of incubation temperature on isolation of cytomegalovirus from fresh clinical specimens.

The sensitivity of WI-38 cell monolayers for the isolation of cytomegalovirus from fresh clinical specimens was reduced by 41% when cultures were incubated at 33 rather than at 36 degrees C. The mean time to initial detection of cytomegalovirus cytopathic effects in cultures incubated at 33 degrees C was 4.3 days later than in cultures incubated at 36 degrees C (4.0 and 5.4 days later for saliva and urine cultures, respectively). Thus, incubation of cultures at 33 degrees C seriously compromises the efficiency with which cytomegalovirus can be isolated from clinical specimens.