Cytomegaloviru retiniti and viral reitance: 3. Culture reult Original Reearch Article

PURPOE: To evaluate the relationhip between blood and urine culture for cytomegaloviru and clinical outcome in patient with cytomegaloviru retiniti. METHOD: Propective epidemiologic tudy of 108 patient with newly diagnoed cytomegaloviru retiniti. Blood and urine were cultured for cytomegaloviru at diagnoi of retiniti, at 1 month and 3 month after diagnoi, and every 3 month thereafter. REULT: Of the patient, 80.6% were found to have either a poitive blood culture or urine culture for cytomegaloviru at the time of diagnoi of retiniti, and a poitive blood culture at diagnoi wa aociated with an increaed mortality (odd ratio = 1.91, P = .012). Follow-up culture were poitive in approximately 20% of patient, and the rate wa contant over time. The development of a poitive blood or urine culture during follow-up correlated with the occurrence of cytomegaloviru retiniti in the contralateral eye in thoe patient with unilateral dieae at diagnoi (odd ratio = 5.74, P = .001). CONCLUION: Patient with cytomegaloviru retiniti and poitive blood culture for cytomegaloviru have a poorer prognoi.