Correlation of in situ hybridization with histology and viral culture in patients with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome with cytomegalovirus colitis

Endoscopic colonic biopsy specimens from 34 patients with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome and six patients without acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (3 were human immunodeficiency virus-seropositive and 3 were human immunodeficiency virus-seronegative) were examined by in situ hybridization for evidence of cytomegalovirus colitis and the results were compared with histologic examinations and viral cultures. In situ hybridization was positive in 22 of 25 patients with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome with histologic evidence of cytomegalovirus colitis. By our interpretation, 15 patients without cytomegalovirus colitis histologically all had negative hybridization studies. No correlation was found between in situ hybridization and viral culture results. In situ hybridization is a useful confirmatory test when the histologic changes are suspicious for cytomegalovirus but not considered diagnostic; it will only rarely demonstrate staining in a case considered negative histologically.