[Infectious complications in patients with ulcerative colitis]

Abstract

Several infectious disease play a role in altering the clinical course of ulcerative colitis(UC). Such infections are considered to be opportunistic infections. Especially cytomegalovirus(CMV) infection is a famous exacerbating factor. We describe a case of fulminant ulcerative colitis with methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infection. A 55-year-old man was admitted to the hospital because of yellowish watery diarrhea. Antibiotics were administered, but the patient's condition was not improved. On the 9th hospital day, a stool culture yielded MRSA. On the 12th hospital day the patient developed toxic megacolon. Colonoscopic examination revealed the characteristic signs of UC. He underwent the emergency total colectomy and ileostomy. We emphasize in this article that MRSA infections should be recognized as an exacerbating factor of UC.