Cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection is common in humans. The virus then enters a "latency phase" and can reactivate to different stimuli such as immunosuppression. The clinical significance of CMV infection in inflammatory bowel disease is different in Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC). CMV does not interfere in the clinical course of CD. However, CMV reactivation is frequent in severe or steroid-resistant UC. It is not known whether the virus exacerbates the disease or simply appears as a bystander of a severe disease. Different methods are used to diagnose CMV colitis. Diagnosis is classically based on histopathological identification of viral-infected cells or CMV antigens in biopsied tissues using haematoxylin-eosin or immunohistochemistry, other tests on blood or tissue samples are currently being investigated. Polymerase chain reaction performed in colonic mucosa has a high sensitivity and a positive result could be associated with a worse prognosis disease; further studies are needed to determine the most appropriate strategy with positive CMV-DNA in colonic mucosa. Specific endoscopic features have not been described in active UC and CMV infection. CMV colitis is usually treated with ganciclovir for several weeks, there are different opinions about whether or not to stop immunosuppressive therapy. Other antiviral drugs may be used. Multicenter controlled studies would needed to determine which subgroup of UC patients would benefit from early antiviral treatment.

Aim: adherence to therapy is important to ensure success. We wanted to explore this feature in patients with inflammatory bowel disease. Patients and methods: we explored adherence to treatment and its modifiers in 40 patients with inflammatory bowel disease using a battery of tests. Results: a 67% of patients (95% CI: 51-81%) acknowledged a certain degree of involuntary nonadherence, and 35% (95% CI: 20-51%) of voluntary nonadherence. Overall, 72% (95% CI: 56-85%) of patients had some form of nonadherence. An objective correlation of these self-reported data was assessed by the determination of urine salicylate levels in the subset of patients treated with mesalazine or its derivatives (15 cases). Two of them (13%) had no detectable urinary drug levels, indicating complete nonadherence. Voluntary nonadherence was higher in patients with lower scores in the intestinal (p = 0.02) and social areas (p = 0.015) of IBDQ-32, as well as in those with less active Crohn's disease (p < 0.005), patients with high depression scores and high patientphysician discordance (p = 0.01), patients with long-standing disease (p = 0.057), patients who considered themselves not to be well informed about the treatment they were getting (p = 0.04) or who trusted their attending physicians less (p = 0.03). Conclusions: intentional nonadherence to therapy is prevalent among patients with inflammatory bowel disease. A correction of factors associated to poor adherence could lead to higher therapeutic success.

SUMMARYBackground: The efficacy of azathioprine in the management of steroid-dependent ulcerative colitis is taken for granted. However, study populations frequently include together steroid-dependent and refractory patients. Aim: To assess the efficacy and safety of thiopurinic immunomodulators in strictly defined steroid-dependent ulcerative colitis. Methods: Survey of 34 patients with steroid-dependent ulcerative colitis, treated with azathioprine according to protocol. Therapeutical success: glucocorticoid withdrawal within 12 months, without steroid requirements during another year. Results: Mean age was 39.1 ± 17 years. Pancolitis and extensive colitis accounted for 50% of cases. Therapeutic success of immunomodulator treatment reached

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is associated with conditions that may predispose to infections, such as the lack of an appropriate innate immune response to infectious agents, malnutrition, surgery, and immunosuppressive and biological drugs. Some of these infections may be preventable by vaccination. Therefore, for this particular patient population, the benefits of implementing a well-established immunization protocol in daily clinical practice are potentially even greater than for the general population. In recent years international consensus guidelines have been published, but in spite of theses recommendations, studies have shown that a significant number of patients with IBD remain inadequately immunized. Another important issue regarding immunization in this population is that vaccine efficacy among patients receiving immunosuppressive therapies has been variable. In a healthy population, a humoral immune response to hepatitis B vaccination (HBV) is expected in > 90%, whereas a much lower rate is achieved in the IBD patients. Immunosuppressive, anti-tumor necrosis factor therapy and disease activity have been implicated in the impaired efficacy of the vaccination. The serological response to HBV should be confirmed and patients with an inadequate response should receive a second full series of vaccine. Modified dosing regimens, including doubling the standard antigen dose, might increase the effectiveness. Response to influenza, pneumococcal and tetanus immunization is still not clear, as there are studies that show a normal response to the vaccination while others demonstrate a lack of efficacy. We pose a series of questions on the efficacy of the different vaccinations recommended for IBD patients and attempt to answer them using scientific evidence.

Pyoderma gangrenosum is an extraintestinal manifestation of inflammatory bowel disease that can be therapeutically troublesome. We comment on the case of a patient with clinically inactive ulcerative colitis who progressively developed necrotic lesions on both tibial aspects of his legs, which corresponded both clinically and histologically to pyoderma gangrenosum. Treatment with steroids and azathioprine could not control this complication. A single dose of infliximab 5 mg/kg was given, achieving an impressive response of the skin lesions followed by complete healing 3 months later. Infliximab can be useful in the management of refractory extraintestinal manifestations of inflammatory bowel disease.