GANCICLOVIR RESISTANCE AS A RESULT OF ORAL GANCICLOVIR IN A HEART TRANSPLANT RECIPIENT WITH MULTIPLE HUMAN CYTOMEGALOVIRUS STRAINS IN BLOOD1,2

Abstract

(a) Oral GCV may select resistant strains in transplanted patients; (b) results of the rapid screening assay were clinically useful for shifting to an alternative treatment, thus avoiding the appearance of HCMV disease; (c) virus isolation may not be the most reliable approach to detection of HCMV drug-resistant strains; (d) a novel molecular assay for rapid detection of UL97 Cys-607 --> Tyr mutation directly in clinical specimens was developed, allowing earlier "in vivo" detection of the resistant mutant.