Does CMV infection play a role in myocarditis? New aspects from in-situ hybridization.

Endomyocardial biopsies of 20 patients with active myocarditis, 15 with post-myocarditis and 22 with acute perimyocarditis were assayed for cytomegalovirus (CMV) DNA by in-situ hybridization with a biotinylated DNA-probe. Positive probes were found in 10% of the cases with acute myocarditis and in 7% of those with post-myocarditis; no CMV-positive patients were found in acute peri-myocarditis. The results were compared to anti-CMV antibodies from patients sera detected by ELISA technique.