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Arch Iran Med 2019 Feb 1;22(2):99-101. Epub 2019 Feb 1.

Tepecik Education and Research Hospital, Department of Gastroenterology, Yenisehir-Izmir, Turkey.

Cytomegalovirus (CMV) is an agent which exists asymptomatically in most individuals and may cause latent life-time infection following contamination. Symptomatic CMV infection develops most commonly in organ transplant recipients and in individuals who receive immunosuppressive drugs, undergo haemodialysis or have acquired immunodeficiency syndrome. The link between ulcerative colitis and CMV infection and the efficacy of antiviral therapy in these individuals have been demonstrated. Read More

Mod Pathol 2019 Apr 5. Epub 2019 Apr 5.

Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, USA.

Cytomegalovirus promotes mucosal injury in patients with inflammatory bowel disease, historically affecting 10-25% of ulcerative colitis patients with refractory disease. Viral reactivation is likely related to long-term corticosteroid therapy, which is no longer central to maintenance of patients with inflammatory bowel disease. We hypothesize that viral detection rates have decreased in the modern era, reflecting widespread use of immunomodulatory agents to control inflammation. Read More

J Clin Neurosci 2019 Apr 1. Epub 2019 Apr 1.

Department of Neurological Surgery, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL 60611, United States; Ken and Ruth Davee Department of Neurology, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL 60611, United States; Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL 60611, United States; Lou and Jean Malnati Brain Tumor Institute, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL 60611, United States. Electronic address:

Survival outcomes for patients with glioblastoma (GBM) are universally poor with only a small percentage of patients surviving five years beyond initial diagnosis. Activation of the immune system against tumor cells is the basis of immunotherapy and aims to facilitate long-term immune surveillance and tumor suppression. Cytomegalovirus (CMV) has emerged as an immunologic target in GBM given that tumor cells have been shown to express the CMV-associated proteins IE1 and pp65. Read More

BMJ Case Rep 2019 Mar 31;12(3). Epub 2019 Mar 31.

Division of Pulmonaryand Critical Care Medicine, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida, USA.

The use of immunosuppressing agents can act as a catalyst for viral reactivation, promoting systemic infection with organ involvement. Current literature remains sparse on this topic but does provide individual case reports involving single viruses. We present the case of an immunocompromised patient with skin lesions, pancreatitis, colitis and hepatitis. Read More

Case Rep Crit Care 2019 18;2019:8067648. Epub 2019 Feb 18.

Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, University of Rochester Medical Center, USA.

Cytomegalovirus (CMV) can cause severe disease including colitis, pneumonitis, and less commonly encephalitis, in profoundly immunocompromised individuals. CNS imaging findings are nonspecific and diagnosis is made by identifying CMV in cerebral spinal fluid through PCR testing or cell culture. Early initiation of antiviral therapy is key with an overall poor outcome. Read More

BMJ Open Gastroenterol 2019 27;6(1):e000258. Epub 2019 Feb 27.

Department of Gastroenterology and Gastrointestinal Oncology, Universitatsklinikum Gottingen, Gottingen, Germany.

Background: Concurrent cytomegalovirus (CMV) colitis in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and after haematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) is an important clinical entity associated with high rates of morbidity and mortality.

Methods: A retrospective study of 47 patients with IBD and 61 HSCT patients was performed regarding the evaluation of diagnostic accuracy of applied methods, predictors, risk factors for CMV disease manifestation, the proportion of patients with antiviral treatment and disease outcome.

Results: The sensitivity of quantitative PCR (qPCR) with a cut-off value of >250 copies/mg for CMV colitis in patients with IBD and HSCT patients was 79% and 92%, respectively. Read More

Front Immunol 2019 7;10:399. Epub 2019 Mar 7.

Program in Primary Immunodeficiency and Aging, Division of Basic and Clinical Immunology, Jeffrey Modell Diagnostic Center for Primary Immunodeficiencies, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, United States.

CMV colitis has been reported in immunocompromized patients with severe deficiency of CD4+ T cells and T cell functions. In this study we present an extensive immunological analysis in a patient with primary hypogammaglobulinemia and CMV colitis who had normal numbers of CD3+T, CD4+T and CD8+T cells, and normal T cell proliferative responses to mitogens and recall antigens. Naïve (T), central (T), and effector (T) memory subsets of CD4+ and CD8+ T cells, Granzyme+ and Perforin+ CD8+ T cells, PD-1+ T cells, CD4 Treg, CD8 Treg, and CMV tetramer specific CD8+ T cells were analyzed with specific antibodies and isotype controls using multicolor flow cytometry. Read More

JMM Case Rep 2018 Dec 23;5(12):e005170. Epub 2018 Nov 23.

The Royal London Hospital, Whitechapel Road, Whitechapel, London E1 1BB, UK.

Introduction: We describe a case of progressive disseminated histoplasmosis (PDH) and disseminated cytomegalovirus (CMV) with development of haemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis in a 62-year-old man of Bangladeshi origin living in the UK.

Case Presentation: The patient had a background of ulcerative colitis for which he took prednisolone and azathioprine. He presented with fever, lethargy, cough, weight loss and skin redness, and was initially treated for bacterial cellulitis and investigated for underlying malignancy. Read More

Nihon Shokakibyo Gakkai Zasshi 2019;116(3):235-240

Department of Gastroenterology, Mitoyo General Hospital.

A 74-year-old male with lung squamous cell carcinoma who was treated with the anti PD-1 antibody nivolumab developed frequent diarrhea four months after initiating treatment. However, his condition did not improve despite prednisolone at 20mg. Endoscopic examination revealed loss of vascular pattern, erosions, and mucosal friability, resembling ulcerative colitis. Read More

Int J Colorectal Dis 2019 May 3;34(5):861-865. Epub 2019 Mar 3.

Gastroenterology Department, Hospital Universitari Germans Trias i Pujol, Carretera del Canyet s/n, 08916, Badalona, Catalonia, Spain.

Purpose: Nivolumab, a monoclonal antibody-targeting programmed cell death protein-1, is being increasingly used for the treatment of some advanced neoplasms. Several of its adverse effects are a result of the upregulation of T cells, with colitis as one of the most severe, and a challenging differential diagnosis with ulcerative colitis. However, few real-life clinical practice cases have been reported beyond trials. Read More

Curr Infect Dis Rep 2019 Feb 15;21(2). Epub 2019 Feb 15.

Pediatric Gastroenterology Unit, Pediatrics Department, "Dana-Dwek" Children's Hospital, Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, 6 Weizman Street, 6423906, Tel Aviv, Israel.

Purpose Of Review: Cytomegalovirus (CMV) colitis is a relatively common end-organ infectious complication in immunocompromised hosts which negatively affects clinical outcomes. This paper presents the contemporary approaches to the diagnosis and management of CMV colitis and discusses some of the controversies of this condition, focusing on methods of diagnosis.

Recent Findings: While certain risk factors for CMV colitis are well recognized, the clinical as well as endoscopic features of this condition are nonspecific. Read More

BMJ Case Rep 2019 Feb 11;12(2). Epub 2019 Feb 11.

Department of Genitourinary Medicine and HIV, Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, London, UK.

We present a case of haemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) in the context of disseminated cytomegalovirus (CMV) viraemia in a 50-year-old man with well-controlled HIV infection and ulcerative colitis (UC), for which he was receiving azathioprine. Peak CMV viral load was 371 000 copies/ml with evidence of end-organ CMV in the lungs and colon. A bone marrow biopsy showed evidence of haemophagocytosis of platelets, neutrophils and erythrocytes. Read More

BMJ Case Rep 2019 Feb 9;12(2). Epub 2019 Feb 9.

Gastroenterology, University of Florida College of Medicine, Gainesville, Florida, USA.

A 42-year-old woman with a history of cholangiocarcinoma on adjuvant chemotherapy with capecitabine presented with painless haematochezia. She was found to have an isolated twenty-five mm ulcer in the ascending colon. Biopsies of the ulceration demonstrated typical cytomegalovirus (CMV) inclusions and her peripheral blood CMV PCR was significantly elevated. Read More

World J Gastrointest Pharmacol Ther 2019 Jan;10(1):29-34

Division of Gastroenterology, Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, OR 97239, United States.

Background: A variety of immune-modulating drugs are becoming increasingly used for various cancers. Despite increasing indications and improved efficacy, they are often associated with a wide variety of immune mediated adverse events including colitis that may be refractory to conventional therapy. Although these drugs are being more commonly used by Hematologists and Oncologists, there are still many gastroenterologists who are not familiar with the incidence and natural history of gastrointestinal immune-mediated side effects, as well as the role of infliximab in the management of this condition. Read More

Iran J Microbiol 2018 Oct;10(5):342-347

Department of Pathology, Milad Hospital, Tehran, Iran.

Background And Objectives: Cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection has been reported in ulcerative colitis (UC), but limited data are available on its prevalence in Iran. The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of CMV infection in patients with UC.

Materials And Methods: A prospective, cross-sectional study was conducted in 86 consecutive patients with UC. Read More

ACG Case Rep J 2018 19;5:e102. Epub 2018 Dec 19.

Delta Pathology, Shreveport, LA.

Cytomegalovirus (CMV) disease in liver transplant patients with donor-seronegative and recipient-seronegative (D-/R-) status is a rarity. Ganciclovir-resistant CMV disease in this population has not been reported in the literature. We present a 62-year-old man who underwent orthotopic liver transplant from a cadaveric donor. Read More

Nat Commun 2019 01 9;10(1):90. Epub 2019 Jan 9.

Department of Medicine, Hematology and Medical Oncology, Tisch Cancer Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, 10029, USA.

Tandem satellite repeats account for 3% of the human genome. One of them, Human Satellite II (HSATII), is highly expressed in several epithelial cancers and cancer cell lines. Here we report an acute induction of HSATII RNA in human cells infected with two herpes viruses. Read More

BMC Infect Dis 2019 Jan 9;19(1):34. Epub 2019 Jan 9.

Department of Medicine and Surgery, Clinica Medica, University of Milano-Bicocca, San Gerardo Hospital, Via G.B. Pergolesi 33, 20900, Monza, Italy.

Background: Cytomegalovirus is responsible for an opportunistic infection that can be life threatening in immunocompromised patients, while it is usually mild or completely asymptomatic in immunocompetent subjects. In the recent years, however, some cases of severe cytomegalovirus infection in immunocompetent patients have been reported, showing this to be a less rare occurrence than previously reported.

Case Presentation: We report the case of an 83-year-old man, admitted to our hospital for gastroenteritis, complicated by dehydration and severe prothrombin time prolongation due to oral anticoagulant therapy accumulation, who developed hospital-acquired pneumonia; neither of these illnesses responded to several lines of antibiotic therapy. Read More

BMC Gastroenterol 2019 Jan 7;19(1). Epub 2019 Jan 7.

Department of Gastroenterology, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China.

Background: Many reports have documented the increasing impact of Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) in patients with ulcerative colitis (UC). We conducted a retrospective study to determine the incidence, clinical characteristics, risk factors and prognosis of CDI in patients with UC.

Methods: We studied patients with UC, hospitalized between January 2010 and December 2015 in a tertiary hospital in China. Read More

Ann Gastroenterol 2019 Jan-Feb;32(1):81-87. Epub 2018 Oct 3.

Gastroenterology Department, Sheffield Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, United Kingdom.

Background: Cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection is associated with acute exacerbations of ulcerative colitis (UC) but its clinical relevance remains uncertain. The primary aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of CMV infection in UC patients using viral polymerase chain reaction (PCR) analysis of mucosal biopsy samples. Secondary aims were to establish whether the disease was due to a primary infection or reactivation and to note associated risk factors and clinical outcomes. Read More

Diagnostics (Basel) 2018 Dec 26;9(1). Epub 2018 Dec 26.

Department of Clinical Physiology & Nuclear Medicine, Copenhagen University Hospital Hvidovre, Kettegaards Allé 30, DK-2650 Hvidovre, Denmark.

We present a case demonstrating the diagnostic work-up of a patient undergoing azathioprine treatment for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), diagnosed with an acute cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection and CMV colitis. An F-FDG positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) performed 2 weeks after debut of symptoms revealed pathological F-FDG uptake in the left side of the colon mucosa, mimicked activity of IBD. However, a diagnosis of CMV colitis was based on the presence of CMV IgM antibodies, a seroconversion of CMV IgG antibodies, presence of CMV DNA in plasma and the finding af CMV DNA in biopsies from the intestinal mucosa. Read More

J Community Hosp Intern Med Perspect 2018 11;8(6):382-385. Epub 2018 Dec 11.

Internal Medicine, Greater Baltimore Medical Centre, Towson, USA.

CMV can infect a variety of organs including gastrointestinal tract, meninges, eyes and other organs depending upon the nature of immune system but it can also manifest as a flare-up in ulcerative colitis patients. It usually presents as loose stools, bright red blood in the stool and weight loss in the patient. In the setting of an Immunocompetent patient, CMV colitis has been diagnosed in patients with occult inflammatory bowel disease. Read More

Int J Colorectal Dis 2019 Mar 30;34(3):393-400. Epub 2018 Nov 30.

Internistische Gemeinschaftspraxis für Verdauungs- und Stoffwechselkrankheiten, Leipzig und Schkeuditz, Leipzig, Germany.

Purpose: Cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection has been found to be associated with a reactivation of ulcerative colitis (UC) and with an impaired response to medical therapy. In the past, only limited data were available on the long-term outcome for UC patients with positive tissue CMV-PCR in the colonic mucosa.

Methods: Between January 2010 and April 2015, we performed a qualitative PCR screening for CMV DNA in one biopsy from most actively inflamed rectal mucosa (tCMV-PCR). Read More

Radiol Case Rep 2019 Feb 27;14(2):273-277. Epub 2018 Nov 27.

Department of Radiology, Hospital Garcia de Orta, EPE, Av. Torrado da Silva, Almada 2805-267, Portugal.

Cytomegalovirus (CMV) is the most common cause of severe opportunistic viral disease among patients with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, and colitis is the most frequent manifestation of CMV infection. Nevertheless, the development of a colonic pseudotumor is a rare benign entity that can be easily misdiagnosed as a colonic neoplasm if the radiologist is not aware of this condition. We present a case of a 42-year-old male with a CMV pseudotumor of the colon. Read More

J Clin Biochem Nutr 2018 Nov 8;63(3):246-251. Epub 2018 Jun 8.

2nd Department of Internal Medicine, Osaka Medical College, 2-7 Daigakumachi, Takatsuki, Osaka 569-8686, Japan.

We investigated the risk factors of and appropriate treatment for cytomegalovirus colitis in patients with ulcerative colitis, using quantitative polymerase chain reaction analysis to detect cytomegalovirus in the colonic mucosa. Between February 2013 and January 2017, patients with exacerbated ulcerative colitis who were admitted to our hospital were consecutively enrolled in this retrospective, single-center study. Patients were evaluated for cytomegalovirus using serology (antigenemia) and quantitative polymerase chain reaction analyses of the colonic mucosa, which were sampled during colonoscopy. Read More

Case Rep Gastroenterol 2018 Sep-Dec;12(3):617-621. Epub 2018 Oct 17.

Department of Gastroenterology, Staten Island University Hospital, Northwell Health, New York, New York, USA.

Ixekizumab is a selective monoclonal antibody targeting interleukin-17A, approved for the treatment of chronic plaque psoriasis. It has rarely been associated with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) in randomized trials only. We report a unique case of severe new-onset ulcerative colitis in a young male complicated by cytomegalovirus infection who was on ixekizumab therapy for plaque psoriasis. Read More

Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2018 Nov 13;11:CD012774. Epub 2018 Nov 13.

Department of Pediatrics, Karjoo Family Center for Pediatric Gastroenterology, SUNY Upstate Medical University, 725, Irving Street, Suit 501, Syracuse, NY, USA, 13210.

Background: Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a chronic, relapsing disease of the gastrointestinal tract that is thought to be associated with a complex interplay between microbes and the immune system, leading to an abnormal inflammatory response in genetically susceptible individuals. Dysbiosis, characterized by the alteration of the composition of the resident commensal bacteria in a host compared to healthy individuals, is thought to play a major role in the pathogenesis of ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn's disease (CD), two subtypes of IBD. There is growing interest to correct the underlying dysbiosis through the use of fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) for the treatment of IBD. Read More

Mod Pathol 2019 Apr 13;32(4):560-567. Epub 2018 Nov 13.

Hematology, Oncology and Transplant, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA.

Amphiregulin, a weak epidermal growth factor receptor agonist, is elevated, while epidermal growth factor, a strong epidermal growth factor receptor agonist, is low in the blood of patients with severe acute graft-versus-host disease. However, the tissue expression and function of these epidermal growth factor receptor ligands in acute graft-versus-host disease target organs is unknown. We compared by immunohistochemistry expression of amphiregulin and epidermal growth factor in archived, formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded intestinal tissues of 48 patients with biopsy-proven gastrointestinal acute graft-versus-host disease to 3 groups: (1) 10 non-hematopoietic cell transplant normal controls, (2) 11 patients with newly diagnosed ulcerative colitis (ulcerative colitis), (3) 8 patients with a clinical diagnosis of acute graft-versus-host disease despite pathologically non-diagnostic biopsies, (4) and 10 cases of cytomegalovirus colitis. Read More

BMC Infect Dis 2018 Nov 12;18(1):554. Epub 2018 Nov 12.

Infectious Diseases Department, Centro Hospitalar de São João, Alameda Professor Hernâni Monteiro, 4200-319, Porto, Portugal.

Background: Cytomegalovirus (CMV) reactivation with neurological involvement in patients with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) is increasingly rare since the introduction of antiretroviral therapy (ART). Manifestations include encephalitis, myelitis, polyradiculopathy and, less commonly, mononeuritis multiplex (MNM). We report a case of disseminated CMV disease with gastrointestinal and peripheral and central nervous system involvement in a patient with AIDS, manifesting primarily as MNM. Read More

Acta Gastroenterol Belg 2018 Jul-Sep;81(3):427-429

Antwerp University Hospital, Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology.

Cytomegalovirus (CMV) reactivation is a common complication after liver transplantation. In patients with CMV infection, indicated by a positive CMV DNA titer, the presence of any clinical symptom is termed CMV disease. The most common organ affected in CMV disease is the gastrointestinal tract, causing esophagitis, gastritis, enteritis or colitis. Read More

J Crohns Colitis 2019 Mar;13(3):385-388

Department of Gastroenterology, Hospital Germans Trias i Pujol, Badalona, Spain.

Background: Colonic cytomegalovirus [CMV] reactivation has been involved in steroid refractoriness in patients with active ulcerative colitis [UC]. The benefits of antiviral therapy in this clinical setting are still under debate, but the burden of viral reactivation has been associated with a poorer outcome in some studies. Our aim was to assess whether the burden of CMV reactivation measured by the number of viral inclusions by immunohistochemistry [IHC-CMV] is associated with a risk of colectomy. Read More

Eur J Paediatr Neurol 2019 Jan 27;23(1):7-18. Epub 2018 Sep 27.

Neuroimmunology Group, Institute for Neuroscience and Muscle Research, Kids Research Institute at the Children's Hospital at Westmead, University of Sydney, Australia. Electronic address:

Background: Available data on mycophenolate mofetil (MMF), azathioprine (AZA) and methotrexate (MTX) for paediatric-onset anti-N-methyl-d-aspartate receptor encephalitis (anti-NMDARE) is limited.

Methods: Systematic literature review on patients treated with MMF/AZA/MTX for paediatric-onset anti-NMDARE, with focus on modes of use, efficacy and safety.

Results: 87 patients were included (age at onset median 11 years, range 0. Read More

Ann Pharmacother 2019 Feb 3;53(2):217-218. Epub 2018 Oct 3.

National Defense Medical Center, Taipei, Taiwan.

Int J Colorectal Dis 2019 Feb 1;34(2):229-237. Epub 2018 Oct 1.

Medizinische Klinik mit Schwerpunkt Gastroenterologie, Infektiologie und Rheumatologie, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, Hindenburgdamm 30, 12203, Berlin, Germany.

Purpose: The optimal method for detecting CMV colitis in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) has not been established. We wanted to investigate which diagnostic test would be most accurate when defining CMV colitis rather by the further clinical course than by using another diagnostic modality.

Methods: All consecutive patients with moderately or severely active IBD who had been tested for CMV by PCR, histology, or antigenemia assay at the two campuses CBF and CCM of the Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin between September 2006 and September 2009 were included in this retrospective study. Read More

J Clin Pathol 2018 Dec 1;71(12):1033-1040. Epub 2018 Oct 1.

Department of Pathology, Laboratory Medicine Program, University Health Network, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

'Apoptotic colopathy' is an umbrella term signifying a pattern of injury where the gastrointestinal biopsy shows a colitic picture with apoptosis as the predominant histological feature. Although the entities within apoptotic colopathy share a common histological feature- 'apoptosis', there is a list of varied clinical differential diagnoses that produce this similar histological pattern of injury. These include graft-versus-host disease, drug-induced injury due to multiple drugs (in particular, mycophenolate mofetil, check point inhibitor therapy and some others), infections (particularly cytomegalovirus, adenovirus and some others), immune disorders and other miscellaneous causes. Read More

Zhongguo Yi Xue Ke Xue Yuan Xue Bao 2018 Aug;40(4):450-455

Department of Gastroenterology,PUMC Hospital,CAMS and PUMC,Beijing 100730,China.

Objective To investigate the clinical features of patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) complicated with Pneumocystis Jiroveci Pneumonia (PJP). Methods We retrospectively analyzed the clinical data of 5 patients who were hospitalized in Peking Union Medical College Hospital from January 2012 to July 2017 for treatment of IBD complicated with PJP. Demographic characteristics,clinical manifestations,treatments,and outcomes were descriptively analyzed. Read More

Ther Clin Risk Manag 2018 20;14:1445-1451. Epub 2018 Aug 20.

Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Linkou Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Taoyuan, Taiwan,

Background: Cytomegalovirus (CMV) colitis typically presents in immunocompromised and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) patients. Several studies have been conducted on the endoscopic characteristics of CMV colitis in IBD patients.

Objectives: The endoscopic findings of CMV colitis in non-IBD patients and their relationship with inhospital mortality are unclear. Read More

Gastroenterology 2018 12 24;155(6):1695-1696. Epub 2018 Aug 24.

Department of Gastroenterology, Staten Island University Hospital, Northwell Health, Staten Island, New York.

Eur J Haematol 2018 Aug 18. Epub 2018 Aug 18.

Department of Gastroenterology, Rambam Health Care Campus, Haifa, Israel.

Objectives: The risk of cytomegalovirus (CMV) reactivation in multiple myeloma (MM) patients treated with bortezomib-based induction regimens is increased following autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT). There is paucity of data regarding the risk of CMV infections in MM patients who did not receive bortezomib and ASCT.

Methods: We herein report three cases of heavily pretreated MM patients, receiving daratumumab-containing combination regimens, in whom ASCT had been performed long ago and who recently developed severe CMV-related gastrointestinal disease. Read More

Lancet Gastroenterol Hepatol 2018 09 8;3(9):644-653. Epub 2018 Aug 8.

Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, University Hospitals Leuven, Leuven, Belgium. Electronic address:

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is characterised by episodes of relapse and periods of remission. However, the clinical features, such as abdominal pain, diarrhoea, and rectal bleeding, are not specific. Therefore, the differential diagnosis can include a broad spectrum of inflammatory or infectious diseases that mimic IBD, as well as others that might complicate existing IBD. Read More

Autops Case Rep 2018 Jul-Sep;8(3):e2018029. Epub 2018 Jul 30.

Universidade de São Paulo, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Anatomic Pathology, Emergency Department and LIM06. São Paulo, SP, Brazil.

Disseminated human cytomegalovirus (CMV) disease occurs mainly as a congenital infection and among immunocompromised hosts. Patients with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) are at increased risk for CMV infection, and the most prevalent clinical manifestation is retinitis, followed by colitis, esophagitis, pneumonitis, and encephalitis. CMV oophoritis is poorly described in the literature with some cases reported in patients with hematological or solid malignancies, bone marrow or solid organ transplantation, immunosuppressive therapy, and advanced AIDS cases. Read More

Dig Dis Sci 2018 11 9;63(11):3074-3083. Epub 2018 Aug 9.

Department of Gastroenterology, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Peking Union Medical College, No. 1 Shuaifuyuan, Dongcheng District, Beijing, 100730, China.

Background And Aims: Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) incidence and risk factors in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) have been extensively studied. However, data describing CDI in Chinese patients with IBD are limited. We investigated the cumulative incidence, risk factors, and outcomes of CDI in Chinese IBD patients. Read More

Intest Res 2018 Jul 27;16(3):504-505. Epub 2018 Jul 27.

Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Internal Medicine, Chungnam National University School of Medicine, Daejeon, Korea.

Am J Transplant 2019 Feb 31;19(2):501-511. Epub 2018 Aug 31.

Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA.

Fecal microbiota transplant (FMT) is recommended for Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) treatment; however, use in solid organ transplantation (SOT) patients has theoretical safety concerns. This multicenter, retrospective study evaluated FMT safety, effectiveness, and risk factors for failure in SOT patients. Primary cure and overall cure were defined as resolution of diarrhea or negative C difficile stool test after a single FMT or after subsequent FMT(s) ± anti-CDI antibiotics, respectively. Read More

Mucosal Immunol 2018 11 3;11(6):1694-1704. Epub 2018 Aug 3.

Departments of Medicine (Gastroenterology), University of Alabama, Birmingham, Alabama, 35294, USA.

Intestinal macrophages in healthy human mucosa are profoundly down-regulated for inflammatory responses (inflammation anergy) due to stromal TGF-β inactivation of NF-κB. Paradoxically, in cytomegalovirus (CMV) intestinal inflammatory disease, one of the most common manifestations of opportunistic CMV infection, intestinal macrophages mediate severe mucosal inflammation. Here we investigated the mechanism whereby CMV infection promotes macrophage-mediated mucosal inflammation. Read More

Biol Blood Marrow Transplant 2018 Nov 17;24(11):2310-2315. Epub 2018 Jul 17.

Division of Hematology, Department of Internal Medicine, National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan.

Platelet-derived growth factor receptor-alpha (PDGFRa) is a critical receptor for cytomegalovirus (CMV) entry into cells, leading to subsequent infection. This trial tested whether PDGFRa inhibition by nilotinib could prevent CMV infection in patients after allogeneic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT). Nilotinib (200 mg/day) was given continuously after engraftment, and plasma CMV DNA levels were monitored weekly. Read More

Iran J Microbiol 2018 Apr;10(2):143-150

Department of Bacteriology and Virology, School of Medicine, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran.

Background And Objectives: infection is the most common viral opportunistic infection causing gastrointestinal diseases such diarrhea and colitis in immunocompromised patients. The development and performance of a robust and sensitive PCR assay are usually evaluated to detect CMV DNA in human fecal specimens. In this study, our aim was to detect CMV DNA in stool samples taken from patients with HIV/AIDS, cancer, and transplant recipient patients with chronic and persistent diarrhea using a non-invasive method. Read More

Exp Hematol Oncol 2018 22;7:14. Epub 2018 Jun 22.

3Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA USA.

Background: Bone marrow transplant-associated thrombotic microangiopathy (TA-TMA) is a relatively frequent but under-recognized and under-treated hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT) complication that leads to significant post-transplant morbidity and mortality. Classic TMA-defining laboratory abnormalities appear at different times in the course of TA-TMA development, with schistocytes often appearing later in the disease course. In some severe TMA cases, schistocytes may be absent due to increased endothelial permeability. Read More

Infect Chemother 2018 Jun;50(2):153-159

Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Internal Medicine, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, Korea.

Dasatinib, a tyrosine kinase inhibitor, is widely used for patients with chronic myeloid leukemia and Philadelphia chromosome-positive acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Although the drug has a potent immunosuppressive effect, infectious complications during dasatinib treatment have been reported rarely. We describe five patients who developed cytomegalovirus (CMV) colitis during dasatinib treatment, in whom the colitis was initially confused with other causes. Read More