Although cytomegalovirus (CMV) has been detected in the inner ear fluid of patients who succumbed to the complications of symptomatic
congenital CMV infection, it has not been detected in the inner ear fluid of living patients. In this study, real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was used to measure CMV
DNA in clinical samples (including perilymph) collected from five patients with
deafness. In case 1, diagnosed as a symptomatic
congenital CMV infection, 3 copies/microl of CMV
DNA were detected in perilymph, although no
viral DNA was detected in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) or urine samples. In case 4, a suspected asymptomatic
congenital CMV infection, 36 copies/microg of CMV
DNA were detected in PBMCs, but neither perilymph nor urine contained
viral DNA. Likewise, in case 5, a case of
deafness of unknown origin, 48 copies/microg of CMV
DNA were detected in the PBMCs, but none in the perilymph or urine. CMV
DNA was not detected in the samples obtained from the remaining two cases with
deafness of unknown etiology. To our knowledge, this is the first report to detect CMV
DNA in an inner ear sample obtained from a living human subject.