CMV retinitis in a patient with good syndrome.

PURPOSE: To describe cytomegalovirus (CMV) retinitis in a patient with Good syndrome.

METHODS

A 48-year-old patient with Good syndrome presented with a necrotizing retinitis in the left eye. Quantitative touchdown real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was performed on aqueous fluid.

RESULTS

Quantitative PCR showed 152 copies of CMV per ml and was negative for varicella zoster virus (VZV), Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), herpes simplex virus (HSV-1), and HSV-2. The positive CMV PCR suggested CMV retinitis and the patient was treated with intravitreal ganciclovir injections (2.5 mg/0.05 ml), followed by ganciclovir implant. The retinal lesions showed decreasing activity two weeks after the onset of the therapy. A repeat PCR showed a decreasing number of CMV copies at one and two weeks (122 copies/ml and 0 copies/ml, respectively) that correlated clinically with the decreasing retinitis activity.

CONCLUSIONS

Quantitative PCR can be useful in diagnosing as well as assessing the response to therapy of CMV retinitis in patients with Good syndrome.