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.