To determine if cytomegalovirus (CMV) retinitis occurs more frequently in patients infected with certain strains CMV isolates from the blood of 44 patients with advanced human immunodeficiency virus disease were grouped by the DNA sequence or the restriction endonuclease digest pattern of a portion of the glycoprotein B (gB) gene. Forty-two patients (95%) were followed clinically until the development of CMV retinitis or death. Fourteen (78%; 95% confidence interval, 7%-39%) of 26 with isolates belonging to other gB groups developed CMV retinitis (P = .002). Viremia caused by gB group 2 CMV strains is associated with higher risk of CMV retinitis than viremia due to other CMV gB groups. The association of CMV gB gene with retinitis suggests this gene, or one linked to it, is a virulence factor for CMV strains causing infection in AIDS patients.

The adsorption of reovirus to clay minerals has been reported by several investigators, but the mechanisms defining this association have been studied only minimally. The purpose of this investigation was to elucidate the mechanisms involved with this interaction. More reovirus type 3 was adsorbed, in both distilled and synthetic estuarine water, by low concentrations of montmorillonite than by comparable concentrations of kaolinite containing a mixed complement of cations on the exchange complex. Adsorption to the clays was essentially immediate and was correlated with the cation-exchange capacity of the clays, indicating that adsorption was primarily to negatively charged sites on the clays. Adsorption was greater with low concentrations of clays in estuarine water than in distilled water, as the higher ionic strength of the estuarine water reduced the electrokinetic potential of both clay and virus particles. The addition of cations (as chloride salts) to distilled water enhanced adsorption, with divalent cations being more effective than monovalent cations and 10-2 M resulting in more adsorption than 10-3 M. Potassium ions suppressed reovirus adsorption to montmorillonite,

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