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We studied eight patients in whom cytomegalovirus retinitis was an initial manifestation of AIDS. Six of these patients had cytomegalovirus retinitis alone at the time of diagnosis and two patients had simultaneous cytomegalovirus retinitis with other AIDS associated diseases (Kaposi's sarcoma in one patient and cytomegalovirus colitis in one patient). Treatment with ganciclovir (dihydroxy propoxymethyl guanine), a new antiviral medication related to acyclovir, resulted in regression of retinitis in all five patients treated with this drug. Our study shows that cytomegalovirus retinitis may be the initial manifestation of AIDS and that ganciclovir is a clinically effective antiviral agent for cytomegalovirus.

We report 2 homosexual patients with the acquired immune deficiency syndrome and histopathologic evidence for cytomegalovirus colitis. In each case, the initial endoscopic impression was Kaposi's sarcoma but the appropriate diagnosis was made by histologic demonstration of a cytomegalovirus vasculitis. Clinical manifestations may include diarrhea, abdominal pain, and hematochezia. Fulminant progression to gangrenous bowel was documented in 1 patient and was associated with histologic evidence of severe cytomegalovirus vasculitis. The pertinent clinical, endoscopic, and pathologic findings are reviewed.

Summary Here we present a 50-year-old man who suffered from progressively bloody diarrhea for 2 months. A colonoscopy revealed pancolonic mucosal inflammation, ulceration, and spontaneous bleeding. Ulcerative colitis was initially diagnosed and sulfasalazine was prescribed. Hypoalbuminemia and renal function deterioration developed 1 year later. Steroids were prescribed for suspected nephrotic syndrome. His bloody diarrhea and abdominal symptoms worsened after steroid use. Progressive sepsis and acute renal function deterioration also developed. Positive human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) antibody was found during routine hemodialysis screening. An episode of colon perforation occurred and surgery was performed. The resected colon showed amoeba, cytomegalovirus, and fungal infection. The patient died of sepsis. In this report, we discuss how to diagnose ulcerative colitis. It is important to exclude infection before using an immunosuppressive agent.

Objective To investigate the findings about gastrointestinal lesions in patients with HIV/AIDS by diagnostic imaging. Methods The findings about gastrointestinal lesions by diagnostic imaging in 11 patients with HIV/AIDS were retrospectively analyzed. Plain chest radiography was performed for all the 11 cases, but chest CT scanning for 4 cases, abdominal CT scanning for 9 cases, pelvic CT scanning for 2 cases, pelvic MR imaging for 1 case, and gastrointestinal endoscopy for 9 cases. Results Gastrointestinal perforation was shown in 3 cases, including 2 cases of esophageal perforation and 1 case of gastric perforation. Intestinal tuberculosis was diagnosed in 2 cases, cytomegalovirus enteritis in 1 case, lymphoma in 4 cases, and gastric adenocarcinoma in 1 case. Esophageal perforation was shown together with mediastinal esophageal fistula, mediastinal lymph nodes tuberculosis and pulmonary tuberculosis. Gastric perforation was shown with gastric fistula, left lobe hepatic abscess and hepatogastric space abscess. Intestinal tuberculosis was shown with thickened ileocecal wall, while cytomegalovirus colitis was indicated by central thickening of rectum wall and the end-piece of sigmoid colon. Lymphoma was indicated by tumor-like thickening of gastrointestinal wall, luminal stenosis or dilatation, with accompanying ulceration and enlarged peripheral lymph nodes. Gastric adenocarcinoma was demonstrated with thickening and stiffness of gastric wall, with significant enhancement by contrast imaging/scanning. Conclusion Gastrointestinal lesions in patients with HIV/AIDS may indicate a variety of opportunistic infections and malignancies, and radiological modalities contribute to the diagnosis of these lesions.

Summary A case of cytomegalovirus (CMV) colitis mimicking travelers’ diarrhea following short-term travel is reported. The patient was a Croatian man visiting Korea for work. He presented with fever and severe bloody diarrhea. He was diagnosed with a primary CMV infection complicated with CMV colitis and hemolytic anemia and recovered with antiviral therapy and concomitant steroid therapy.

Summary Objectives Cytomegalovirus (CMV) is a ubiquitous virus and its reactivation may lead to CMV end-organ disease (CMV EOD) in immunocompromised patients and also in immunocompetent patients when they are critically ill. We aimed to investigate the frequency and the clinical features of proven CMV EOD in previously non-immunosuppressed patients admitted to our institution. Methods From January 2000 to March 2013, the records of all patients with a histopathological diagnosis of CMV EOD at our teaching hospital were reviewed retrospectively. CMV EOD was diagnosed histologically by the identification of true cytomegalic viral inclusion involving endothelial, stromal, and/or epithelial cells on hematoxylin and eosin staining, and was subsequently confirmed by immunohistochemistry using specific antibody against CMV antigens. Immunocompromised patients were excluded. Results CMV EOD manifesting as colitis was diagnosed in 14 previously immunocompetent intensive care unit (ICU) patients. The mean age of the patients was 64 years. All had co-morbidities and developed shock before CMV EOD. The major manifestation was gastrointestinal bleeding. The in-hospital mortality rate was 71.4% despite specific treatment with ganciclovir. Conclusions Despite being a rare condition, lower gastrointestinal bleeding in this profile of ICU patients could be the clinical manifestation of CMV colitis, and intensivists should be alert to this condition.

Clostridium difficile colitis and cytomegalovirus colitis coinfection has been documented in immunocompromised patients. However, this kind of coinfection has rarely been reported in immunocompetent patients. We present a 90-year-old, critically ill, immunocompetent patient, who had a C. difficile and cytomegalovirus colitis coinfection. Although the common risk factors of both types of colitis are well known, clinical physicians still need to be alert to this coinfection because severe complications of CMV colitis have been reported previously. Physicians should be more aggressive in the management of elderly immunocompetent patients with refractory symptoms of colitis.

The acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) was first identified in the United States in 1981. By April 1, 1987, a total of 45,608 cases had been reported to the World Health Organization Global Control Program on AIDS, with patients in the Americas accounting for 80% of all reported cases [1]. A concentrated research effort has identified the etiologic agent of this infection as a retrovirus, which has most recently been termed HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) [2]. The rapid emergence and spread of this disease represents an epidemic of major proportions. It is certainly apparent that with the protean manifestations of AIDS and the AIDS-related conditions, it behooves physicians in all disciplines of medicine to have a working knowledge of the etiology, clinical manifestations, natural history, and management of this newly described infectious disease.

Twenty-four AIDS patients, who underwent gastrointestinal evaluation, died from their disease and were autopsied. Seven had Cytomegalovirus colitis (group I) and 17 did not (group II). Clinical manifestations, digestive lesions, and infections were compared in the two groups. Chronic watery diarrhea was present in all the patients with colitis but was also present in 65% of the patients without colitis. Hematochezia was present only in the group with colitis (one of seven patients) but appeared late in the diarrheal course, due to necrotizing colitis. No other difference were noted between the two groups (mean duration of diarrhea, frequency and nature of the other infections). As for group I specifically, colonic ulcerations due to Cytomegalovirus were present in all the patients, varying from punctate and superficial erosions to deep ulcerations, with granular and friable intervening mucosa. Severe colonic lesions appeared during the course of Cytomegalovirus colitis in two patients who developed lethal necrotizing colitis. Finally, the clinical and pathologic features of these seven cases were compared to other reports of Cytomegalovirus infection of the colon.

Cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection of the colon occurs in immunocompromised patients and in patients with ulcerative colitis. In the former, it can cause serious bleeding or colonic perforation and in the latter, it may precipitate a fulminant phase of illness. The authors compared the immunoperoxidase technique with a monoclonal antibody (Mab) against CMV early antigen and DNA in situ hybridization using a biotinylated probe in the identification of virus-infected cells in colon samples from patients with known CMV colitis and with fulminant ulcerative colitis without histologic evidence of infection. The Mab stained the nuclei of infected cells without recognizable viral inclusions particularly in cases showing few characteristic viral inclusions. In well-developed CMV infections, with many inclusions, immunoperoxidase staining was less prominent. The biotinylated DNA probe recognized cytopathic cells with prominent inclusions but was only rarely positive in smaller cells. In specimens with few inclusions, there was no staining with in situ hybridization. No positivity was observed by either technique in cases of fulminant ulcerative colitis with no morphologic evidence of CMV infection. The authors conclude that immunoperoxidase using monoclonal anti-CMV early antigen adds useful information in the evaluation of early or focal cases of CMV colitis. DNA in situ hybridization is usually positive in cytopathic cells and is less useful for diagnosis. CMV could not be demonstrated in cases of fulminant ulcerative colitis when viral inclusions were not observed in routine preparations.

Introduction Although a common cause of intestinal obstruction in children, intussusception is a rare event in the adult population living in temperate regions. It has long been known that various acquired immune deficiency syndrome related conditions of the bowel such as lymphoma, lymphoid hyperplasia, cytomegalovirus colitis and Kaposi's sarcoma can lead to intussusception. The diagnosis is particularly difficult in this population of patients due to the non-specific nature of the symptoms as well as the depressed immune response obscuring inflammation or ischemia. Though the reported acquired immune deficiency syndrome associated cases of intussusception refer to patients with known human immunodeficiency virus infection, in our case we present an intestinal intussusception as the first manifestation of human immunodeficiency virus infection. Case presentation A 58-year-old white heterosexual Greek man with a clean medical record and no history of abdominal operation presented to the emergency department with symptoms and signs of bowel obstruction. Plain abdominal radiographs were highly suspicious for intussusception which was eventually confirmed on a computed tomography scan. Due to the patients clean medical record as well as the radiologic diagnosis of intussusception, we promptly undertook further serologic tests for human immunodeficiency virus and eventually established the diagnosis of acquired immune deficiency syndrome. The patient was operated 3 days later and this confirmed the diagnosis of small-bowel invagination due to a 4 cm polypoid growing intraluminal tumor, the pathologic examination of which revealed a diffuse high-grade B cell lymphoblastic lymphoma. Conclusion Human immunodeficiency virus infection may have a silent course and gastrointestinal manifestations of the disease leading to intussusception might be the first clinical sign. Patients with intestinal intussusception, and the presence of risk factors for human immunodeficiency virus infection should be eligible for serologic tests for human immunodeficiency virus infection.

The association between cytomegalovirus infection and inflammatory bowel disease challenges both the clinician and the pathologist to establish the correct diagnosis and to prescribe the most appropriate form of therapy. To understand this association the authors report three patients who presented with signs and symptoms mimicking reactivated inflammatory bowel disease who responded poorly to aggressive treatment of inflammatory bowel disease. Microscopic examination, in all three cases revealed numerous nuclear and cytoplasmic viral inclusions, as demonstrated by cytomegalovirus immunohistochemistry, as well as histologic findings consistent with inflammatory bowel disease (ulcerative colitis and/or Crohn's disease). Because the clinical pathologic features of cytomegalovirus colitis and inflammatory bowel disease often overlap, and because of the possible coexistence of cytomegalovirus colitis with idiopathic colitis, the possibility of cytomegalovirus infection should be always considered, so that the most appropriate therapy can be instituted for these patients.

The authors urge clinicians to observe for early signs of CMV reactivation in patients presenting with gastrointestinal bleeding and intestinal perforation after receiving tocilizumab or other immunosuppressive therapy as a treatment for COVID 19. Early recognition of CMV infection and treatment will prevent life-threatening bleeding and mortality.

Introduction The occurrence of cytomegalovirus colitis is well known in immunosuppressed patients, such as neoplastic patients following chemotherapy, although its exact etiology remains unclear. Case presentation We present a case of cytomegalovirus colitis occurring in a 77-year-old man with vomiting and diarrhea 2 weeks after initial systemic chemotherapy consisting of 5-fluorouracil, leucovorin and irinotecan for a recurrent colorectal cancer. Initial colonoscopy revealed multiple punched-out ulcers in the transverse colon and the diagnosis of cytomegalovirus was based on positive cytomegalovirus antigen detected by indirect enzyme antibody method, although immunohistological examination of tissues biopsied at colonoscopy was negative. The symptoms ceased under ganciclovir and octreotide treatment, and the patient recovered gradually. Conclusion The most probable cause of the cytomegalovirus colitis in this case was impaired immunity following chemotherapy. Cytomegalovirus infection should be included in the differential diagnosis of gastrointestinal disease in colorectal cancer patients after chemotherapy and, when suspected, the clinician should pursue appropriate diagnostic interventions including colonoscopy.

We report 3 cases of isolated acute cytomegalovirus colitis in immunocompetent individuals. Each case was documented by the presence of cytomegalovirus inclusions in colonic biopsy specimens. All had a self-limited illness. Two of these cases occurred after anal intercourse and 1 case had no probable known cause. At follow-up from 2 to 6 yr later, none of the 3 patients has had any gastrointestinal symptoms. Additional biopsy specimens were obtained from 2 patients and no evidence of residual cytomegalovirus was seen by light microscopy or by in situ hybridization. Although cytomegalovirus colitis in immunosuppressed individuals is well recognized, these are the first reports of a nonfatal cytomegalovirus colitis in immunocompetent hosts.

Background In 2009, a trigger role of cytomegalovirus (CMV) was shown in the development of ulcerative colitis (UC) in mice. Fifteen cases of synchronous onset of CMV colitis and UC have been reported in literature. A careful prospective and retrospective survey identified CMV colitis in newly diagnosed UC patients at 4.5% (3/65 cases) and 8.2% (5/61 cases), respectively. This means that a majority of synchronous CMV colitis may be missed in newly diagnosed UC patients in routine practice. Such a case is presented. Case presentation A 50-year-old woman, with a history of right partial mastectomy two years ago, had a persistent high fever for 9 days, after which a thickness of the colonic wall was detected on abdominal ultrasonography. Laboratory data showed inflammation and 2% atypical lymphocytes with the normal number of white blood cells. Although there was no bloody stool, fecal occult blood was over 1000 ng/ml. Colonoscopy showed diffuse inflammation in the entire large bowel and pseudomembranes in the sigmoid colon. The diagnosis was UC with antibiotic-associated pseudomembranous colitis. Metronidazole followed by sulfasalazine resulted in defervescence and improvement in laboratory data of inflammation. It took one month for normalization of fecal occult blood. Endoscopic remission was simultaneously confirmed. Later, it was found that a report of positive CMV antigenaemia (2/150,000) had been missed. Reevaluation of biopsy specimens using a monoclonal antibody against CMV identified positive cells, although inclusion bodies were not found in hematoxylin and eosin sections. Finally, the case was concluded to be synchronous onset of CMV colitis and UC. Conclusion Synchronous CMV colitis is not routinely investigated in newly diagnosed UC patients. Together with a recent observation in animal studies, it is plausible that a subset (a few to several per cent) of UC patients develop synchronous CMV infection. Further studies are needed to elucidate the plausibility.