Prevalence of Cytomegalovirus Infection in Patients With Ulcerative Colitis by Using PCR Technique

Background: Ulcerative colitis is one type of inflammatory bowel disease. Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of cytomegalovirus in patients with ulcerative colitis in comparison with healthy subjects by using PCR technique. Patients and Methods: In this analytical case-control study, 5 patients with ulcerative colitis and 30 patients without malignancy as controls were selected. Biopsy specimens were frozen under sterile conditions at -20?C. After DNA extraction, analysis of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to detect CMV DNA in tissue samples was performed. Statistical analysis was performed with ?2 test. Results: CMV DNA was found in 80% of ulcerative colitis samples (4 of 5) and 30% of the non-malignant control group (9 of 30). Statistical analysis showed significant association between the prevalence of CMV and incidence ulcerative colitis in comparison with the control group (P = 0.03). Conclusions: The results of the present study has shown ulcerative colitis patients have a predisposition to CMV infection as compared to healthy individuals, but the etiologic link between ulcerative colitis and CMV infection needs to be studied.