diff --git a/modules/comment/comment.module b/modules/comment/comment.module
index fa1fe1cbfc71e8a9d3c826674d1c25d7f2ba04ef..4a466fa59854922b38734a115bca2cd67096f1ed 100644
--- a/modules/comment/comment.module
+++ b/modules/comment/comment.module
@@ -1294,13 +1294,20 @@ function comment_update_index() {
 
 /**
  * Implements hook_node_search_result().
+ *
+ * Formats a comment count string and returns it, for display with search
+ * results.
  */
 function comment_node_search_result($node) {
+  // Do not make a string if comments are hidden. 
   if ($node->comment != COMMENT_NODE_HIDDEN) {
     $comments = db_query('SELECT comment_count FROM {node_comment_statistics} WHERE nid = :nid', array('nid' => $node->nid))->fetchField();
-    return format_plural($comments, '1 comment', '@count comments');
+    // Do not make a string if comments are closed and there are currently
+    // zero comments.
+    if ($node->comment != COMMENT_NODE_CLOSED || $comments > 0) {
+      return format_plural($comments, '1 comment', '@count comments');
+    }
   }
-  return '';
 }
 
 /**
diff --git a/modules/search/search.test b/modules/search/search.test
index ce7e56cb0f14e63d34f66689c982114e394ceb66..160e4164bcbb537247adc0f64879f789d74de079 100644
--- a/modules/search/search.test
+++ b/modules/search/search.test
@@ -617,6 +617,98 @@ class SearchCommentTestCase extends DrupalWebTestCase {
   }
 }
 
+/**
+ * Tests that comment count display toggles properly on comment status of node
+ * 
+ * Issue 537278
+ * 
+ * - Nodes with comment status set to Open should always how comment counts
+ * - Nodes with comment status set to Closed should show comment counts
+ *     only when there are comments
+ * - Nodes with comment status set to Hidden should never show comment counts
+ */
+class SearchCommentCountToggleTestCase extends DrupalWebTestCase {
+  protected $searching_user;
+  protected $searchable_nodes;
+  
+  public static function getInfo() {
+    return array(
+      'name' => 'Comment count toggle',
+      'description' => 'Verify that comment count display toggles properly on comment status of node.',
+      'group' => 'Search',
+    );
+  }
+
+  function setUp() {
+    parent::setUp('search');
+
+    // Create searching user.
+    $this->searching_user = $this->drupalCreateUser(array('search content', 'access content', 'access comments', 'post comments without approval'));
+
+    // Create initial nodes.
+    $node_params = array('type' => 'article', 'body' => array(LANGUAGE_NONE => array(array('value' => 'SearchCommentToggleTestCase'))));
+    
+    $this->searchable_nodes['1 comment'] = $this->drupalCreateNode($node_params);
+    $this->searchable_nodes['0 comments'] = $this->drupalCreateNode($node_params);
+    
+    // Login with sufficient privileges.
+    $this->drupalLogin($this->searching_user);
+    
+    // Create a comment array
+    $edit_comment = array();
+    $edit_comment['subject'] = $this->randomName();
+    $edit_comment['comment_body[' . LANGUAGE_NONE . '][0][value]'] = $this->randomName();
+    $filtered_html_format_id = db_query_range('SELECT format FROM {filter_format} WHERE name = :name', 0, 1, array(':name' => 'Filtered HTML'))->fetchField();
+    $edit_comment['comment_body[' . LANGUAGE_NONE . '][0][format]'] = $filtered_html_format_id;
+    
+    // Post comment to the test node with comment
+    $this->drupalPost('comment/reply/' . $this->searchable_nodes['1 comment']->nid, $edit_comment, t('Save'));
+    
+    // First update the index. This does the initial processing.
+    node_update_index();
+
+    // Then, run the shutdown function. Testing is a unique case where indexing
+    // and searching has to happen in the same request, so running the shutdown
+    // function manually is needed to finish the indexing process.
+    search_update_totals();
+  }
+
+  /**
+   * Verify that comment count display toggles properly on comment status of node
+   */
+  function testSearchCommentCountToggle() {
+    // Search for the nodes by string in the node body.
+    $edit = array(
+      'search_block_form' => "'SearchCommentToggleTestCase'",
+    );
+
+    // Test comment count display for nodes with comment status set to Open
+    $this->drupalPost('', $edit, t('Search'));
+    $this->assertText(t('0 comments'), t('Empty comment count displays for nodes with comment status set to Open'));
+    $this->assertText(t('1 comment'), t('Non-empty comment count displays for nodes with comment status set to Open'));
+    
+    // Test comment count display for nodes with comment status set to Closed
+    $this->searchable_nodes['0 comments']->comment = COMMENT_NODE_CLOSED;
+    node_save($this->searchable_nodes['0 comments']);
+    $this->searchable_nodes['1 comment']->comment = COMMENT_NODE_CLOSED;
+    node_save($this->searchable_nodes['1 comment']);
+    
+    $this->drupalPost('', $edit, t('Search'));
+    $this->assertNoText(t('0 comments'), t('Empty comment count does not display for nodes with comment status set to Closed'));
+    $this->assertText(t('1 comment'), t('Non-empty comment count displays for nodes with comment status set to Closed'));
+
+    // Test comment count display for nodes with comment status set to Hidden
+    $this->searchable_nodes['0 comments']->comment = COMMENT_NODE_HIDDEN;
+    node_save($this->searchable_nodes['0 comments']);
+    $this->searchable_nodes['1 comment']->comment = COMMENT_NODE_HIDDEN;
+    node_save($this->searchable_nodes['1 comment']);    
+    
+    $this->drupalPost('', $edit, t('Search'));
+    $this->assertNoText(t('0 comments'), t('Empty comment count does not display for nodes with comment status set to Hidden'));
+    $this->assertNoText(t('1 comment'), t('Non-empty comment count does not display for nodes with comment status set to Hidden'));
+  }  
+}
+
 /**
  * Test search_simplify() on every Unicode character.
  */