Detection of human cytomegalovirus (CMV) DNA in feces has limited value in predicting CMV enteritis in patients with intestinal graft-versus-host disease after allogeneic stem cell transplantation.

Abstract

Cytomegalovirus (CMV) enteritis after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) is difficult to diagnose. We aimed to evaluate the sensitivity and specificity of the detection of CMV DNA in feces for predicting CMV enteritis. HSCT patients with intestinal graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) were enrolled if they met the following criteria: (i) underwent a colonoscopy and (ii) peripheral blood and feces specimens were available for CMV DNA detection within 24 h of colonoscopy. The colonoscopy histology was used as the gold standard for diagnosing CMV enteritis. Fifty-six patients underwent 58 colonoscopy examinations, and 7 were diagnosed as having CMV enteritis. Within 24 h of colonoscopy, 9 patients had detectable CMV in the feces and 19 patients had detectable CMV in the plasma, respectively. In the 7 patients with CMV enteritis, only 2 had detectable CMV in the stool, resulting in a sensitivity of 28.6%. In the 51 patients without CMV enteritis, 44 had no detectable CMV in the stool, with a specificity of 86.3%. We concluded that CMV detection in the feces was not a good predictor of CMV enteritis in patients with intestinal GVHD after allo-HSCT.