Disseminated cytomegalovirus infection with gastrointestinal involvement. The role of altered immunity in the elderly.

Disseminated cytomegalovirus (CMV) infections seem to occur in patients with impaired immunity. The evidence for the altered immunity and the predisposing factors in elderly patients are summarized and illustrated by a report of a 75-year old patient with CMV colitis. The clinical and pathologic features of CMV infections involving the gastrointestinal tract in noncompromised hosts are reviewed.