CMV parotiditis

Viruses are a common cause of eye infection. The local mucosal response, with production of antibodies released into tears, is believed to provide an important immune defense against these agents. However very little information exists on the viral specificity of normal tear immunoglobulins. In this study we obtained tears, parotid saliva and serum from 40 normal subjects without eye disease. Samples were examined by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for antibodies to seven common viruses which invade mucosa: cytomegalovirus (CMV), Epstein Barr (EBV), herpes simplex type I (HSVI), measles, mumps, rubella and varicella zoster virus (VZV)...

Parotid and whole saliva was collected from nine patients with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) and nine controls. Cytomegalovirus (CMV) was cultured from both salivary samples in six of the AIDS patients but was not present in any of the controls. In the AIDS samples parotid sodium (p less than 0.05), IgG (p less than 0.01), and albumin (p less than 0.05) were higher than in control samples. Parotid potassium (p less than 0.05) and total protein (p less than 0.05) were lower than control values, whereas flow rate, lactoferrin, lysozyme, IgA, and IgM levels were similar in both sets of samples...

In two SIDS autopsy cases, in situ hybridization with biotin-labeled DNA probes was used to demonstrate a specific cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection in paraffin-embedded tissue sections. This technique represents a rapid, specific, and highly sensitive tool for the detection of CMV infections and is recommended for routine examination in other suspected viral infections, particularly in cases connected with SIDS.

The parotid gland and/or the submandibular gland in SIDS cases (180 from Berlin und 75 cases from Hamburg) were examined by means of HE staining, immunohistochemical analysis, in situ hybridization and electron microscopy. The SIDS cases were taken from the last 10 years; the age of the children ranged from 2 weeks to 1 year. Typical cytomegaly inclusion bodies were recognized in 10% (18 cases from Berlin; more girls than boys) and 7% (6 cases from Hamburg; more boys than girls). Our files indicate that the frequency of CMV infection was not age-dependent within the first 12 months of life...

Nine hundred and fifty-one paediatric autopsies showed 24 cases in which the parotid contained cytomegalovirus-(CMV-) type inclusions. Parotid inclusions were found only during the first two years after birth. Of those with parotid inclusions, 15 showed microglial nodules in the brainstem and/or cerebellum. All the infants with microglial nodules were less than 6 months old. Only four infants without parotid inclusions showed microglial nodules. In just over half of the cases with parotid inclusions and microglial nodules death had been recorded as cases of sudden infant death syndrome...