INTRODUCTION:

Lung infections are common in immunocompromised patients. A routine viral load of cytomegalovirus (CMV) is used to determine the point where preventive therapy should begin, to diagnose active disease and to monitor response to an implanted therapy.

OBJECTIVE:

To describe the usefulness of the viral load of CMV in bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) vs peripheral blood in pediatric patients with signs of respiratory infection.

METHODS:

descriptive study, 16 pediatric patients and 19 episodes, which was performed simultaneously CMV viral load in blood and BAL.

RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS:

All viral CMV loads conducted in BAL were positive and were obtained generally higher values in BAL that in blood, suggesting a higher sensitivity of the test when it is performed in this sample such shows in patients with clinical suspicion of respiratory infection therefore CMV becomes an important diagnostic aid as shown by the results obtained.