Measles virus and Crohn's disease: A critical appraisal of the current literature

The etiology of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is unknown. Recent reports in the literature have suggested that measles virus, both wild-type and va ccine-attenuated, might be a risk factor for Crohn's disease. We used the w ell-accepted Bradford-Hill criteria to evaluate the possible causal associa tion between measles and IBD. Although the association may be biologically plausible, the literature lacks consistency, specificity, strength, and dos e response. The current literature does not support an association between measles virus and IBD.