Routine Histology-Based Diagnosis of CMV Colitis Was Rare in Pediatric Patients

Cytomegalovirus (CMV) induced or complicated colitis is important to identify, yet its incidence is unknown among pediatric patients. We aimed to establish the incidence of routine histology-confirmed CMV colitis among pediatric patients with colitis. Pathology reports at Texas Children's Hospital (TCH) between January 1, 2011 and November 6, 2019 were reviewed. Of 1801 cases of histologic colitis, 11 patients had CMV found by histology (mean age 15.4, 72.7% female), with an incidence of 0.6%. Nine out of these 11 (81.8%) patients were immunocompromised and 4 (36.4%) had inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) as an underlying diagnosis of whom 2 had new-onset ulcerative colitis. At an average follow-up of 3.7 years, none of the CMV colitis cases experienced recurrence or severe complications (such as colectomy). An independent analysis of 54 consecutive IBD-associated colectomy cases at TCH showed no histologic evidence of CMV. We conclude that routine histology proven CMV-associated colitis in pediatric patients and IBD-colon explants was rare.Key Words: cytomegalovirus; colitis; children; histopathology; ulcerative colitis.