Cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection is a common viral infection worldwide, with a frequency as high as 90% in developing countries. Only 10% of primary CMV infection is symptomatic in immunocompetent patients, and it rarely causes specific complications. We report CMV colitis in an immunocompetent adolescent with hereditary spherocytosis and spontaneous rupture of the spleen, who was critically ill with septicaemia and significant non-bloody diarrhoea that responded to specific CMV treatment.
