Objective: Viral infections of the mesenteric microvascular endothelium have been hypothesized as pathogenetic factors in inflammatory bowel diseases. The aim of this study was to determine whether immunoglobulin M (IgM) antibody against measles virus is associated with disease.
Patients and methods: The IgM antibody was detected by indirect antibody test in 36 patients with evidence of Crohn's disease (23 males and 13 females, median age 40 years, range 20-66), 22 patients with ulcerative colitis (14 males and 8 females, median age 42 years; range 19-65), 59 patients with a chronic active hepatitis (35 males and 24 females, median age 56 years, range 38-77) and 30 blood donors (20 males and 10 females, median age 45 years, range 29-62).
Results: Twenty-eight of 36 patients (78%) with Crohn's disease and 13 of 22 patients (59%) with ulcerative colitis tested positive as compared to only 3 of 89 (3.3%) controls (P < or = 0.001).
Conclusion: The detection of IgM anti-measles virus in the majority of patients with Crohn's disease and in about half of ulcerative colitis patients as compared to a very low prevalence in patients with other chronic inflammatory disease is consistent with the hypothesis that the measles virus has pathogenetic implications in inflammatory bowel diseases.