Abstract
The idea that some rare, and not obviously contagious, human diseases may result from an unusual immunological response to commonly encountered infectious agents has attracted increasing attention in recent years. While much of this interest was stimulated by studies in mice, for example on chronic LCM disease (1) it is never-theless probable that the clearest example of a disease where this view of pathogenesis is correct is subacute sclerosing panencephalitis (SSPE). The disease is extremely rare while the virus causing it is virtually universally encountered. Thus, in the United States before the advent of immunisation against measles it was estimated that the incidence of SSPE was one case for every million cases of measles although in the Middle East it seems to be signifi-cantly commoner (see 2). The disease is not contagious in as much as there are no reports of anyone having caught SSPE or even measles from an SSPE patient. Finally, there is no doubt that the immunological response to the measles virus in SSPE is unusual and it is the nature of this response which is the topic of this paper.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.
Buying options
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Learn about institutional subscriptionsPreview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
References
Oldstone, MBA, FJ Dixon: Pathogenesis of chronic disease associated with persistent lymphocytic choriomeningitis viral infection. J. Exp. Med. 129: 483–505, 1969.
Lachmann,PJ, H Valdimarsson, G Agnarsdottir: The aetiology of subacute sclerosing panencephalitis. Immunopathology VII, ed. PA Miescher, Schwabe, Basel p. 148, 1977.
Wechsler, SL, BN Fields: Intracellular synthesis of measles virus specified polypeptides. J. Virol. 25: 285–297, 1978.
Graves, MC, SM Silver, PW Choppin: Measles virus polypeptide synthesis in infected cells. Virology 86: 254–263, 1978.
Tyrell, DLJ, E Norrby: Structural polypeptides of measles virus. J. Gen. Virol. 39: 219–229, 1978.
Hall, WW, RA Lamb, PW Choppin: Measles and SSPE virus proteins: Lack of antibodies to the M protein in patients with subacute sclerosing panencephalitis
Fraser, KB,M Gharpure, PV Shirodania, MA Armstrong, A Mave, E Dermott: In: Negative Strand Viruses and the Host Cell. Eds. BWJ Mahy, RD Barry, Academic press, pp.771–780, 1978.
Ewan, PW, PJ Lachmann: in preparation, 1979
Connolly, JH, I Allen, IJ Hurwitz, JHD Millar: Measles virus antibody and antigen in subacute sclerosing panencephalitis. Lancet 1: 542–544, 1967.
Vandvik, B, E Norrby, HJ Nordal, M Degre: Oligoclonal measles virus specific IgG antibodies isolated from cerebrospinal fluids, brain extracts and sera from patients with subacute sclerosing panencephalitis and multiple sclerosis. Scand. J. Immunol. 5: 979–992, 1976.
Ewan, P, PJ Lachmann: IgG synthesis within the brain in multiple sclerosis and subacute sclerosing panencephalitis. Clin. exp. immunol. 35: 227–235, 1979.
Tourtellotte, WW: On cerebrospinal fluid immunoglobulin-G (IgG) quotients in multiple sclerosis and other diseases. A review and a new formula to estimate the amount of IgG synthesised per day by the central nervous system. J. Neurol. Sci. 10: 279–304, 1970.
Tourtellotte, WW: What is multiple sclerosis? Laboratory criteria for diagnosis. Multiple sclerosis Research ed. AN Davison, JH Humphrey, AL Liversedge, WI McDonald, JS Porterfield. H.M.S.O. Lond. 1975.
Gorman, NT, PJ Lachmann, J Habicht: in preparation, 1979.
Gorman, NT, PJ Lachmann, J Habicht: in preparation, 1979.
Norrby, E, H Link, JE Olsson: Measles virus antibodies in multiple sclerosis. Arch. Neurol. (Chicago) 30: 285–292, 1974.
von Pirquet, C: Das Verhalten der kutanen Tuberkulinreaktion während der masern. Dtsch.med.Wschr. 34: 1297, 1908.
Valdimarsson, H, G Agnarsdottir, PJ Lachmann: Measles virus receptor on human T-lymphocytes. Nature 255, 554–556, 1975.
Valdimarsson, H, G Agnarsdottir, PJ Lachmann: Cellular immunity in subacute sclerosing panencephalitis. Proc. Roy. Soc. Med. 67: 1125–1129, 1974.
Valdimarsson, H, G Agnarsdottir, PJ Lachmann: Subacute sclerosing panencephalitis. In: Clinical Neuroimmunology. Ed. F. Clifford Rose, Blackwell Scientific Publications, pp. 406–418, 1979.
Thurman, GB, A Ahmed, DM Strong, RC Knudsen, WR Grace, KW Sell: Lymphocyte activation in subacute sclerosing panencephalitis virus and cytomegalovirs infections. J. Exp. Med. 138: 839–846, 1973.
Ahmed, A, DM Strong, KW Sell, GB Thurman, RC Knudsen, R Wistar, WR Grace: Demonstration of a blocking factor in the plasma and and spinal fluids of patients with subacute sclerosing pan-encephalitis. J. Exp. Med. 139: 902–924, 1974.
Härfast, B, T Andersson, P Perlmann: Immunoglobulin-independent natural cytotoxicity of Fc receptor-bearing human blood lymphocytes to mumps virus-infected target cells. J. Immunol. 121: 755–761, 1978.
Perrin, LH, A Tishon, MBA Oldstone: Immunologic injury in measles virus infection. III. Presence and carahcterisation of human cytotoxic lymphocytes. J. Immunol. 118: 282–290, 1977.
Kreth, HW, V ter Meulen: Cell-mediated cytotoxicity against measles virus in SSPE. 1. Enhancement by antibody. J. Immunol. 118: 291–295, 1977.
Kreth, HW, G Wiegand: Cell-mediated cytotoxicity against measles virus in SSPE. II. Analysis of cytotoxic effector cells. J. Immunol. 118: 296–301, 1977.
Ewan, PW PJ Lachmann: Demonstration of T-cell and K-cell cytotoxicity against measles-infected cells in normal subjects, multiple sclerosis and subacute sclerosing panencephalitis. Clin. exp. immunol. 30: 22–31, 1977.
Kreth, HW, V ter Meulen, G Eckert: Demonstration of HLA restricted killer cells in patients with acute measles. Med. Microbiol. Immunol. 165: 203–214, 1979.
Dayan, AD, MI Stokes: Immune complexes and visceral deposits of measles antigens in subacute sclerosing panencephalitis. Brit. Med. J. ii: 374–376, 1972.
Kurent, JE, JL Sever, PI Terasaki: HLA W29 and subacute sclerosing panencephalitis. Lancet 1: 927–928, 1975.
Joseph, BS, MBA Oldstone: Antibody induced redistribution of measles virus antigens on the cell surface. J. Immunol. 113: 1205–1209, 1974.
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 1979 ECSC, EEC, EAEC, Brussels-Luxembourg
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Lachmann, P.J., Gorman, N.T., Habicht, J., Ewan, P.W., Agnarsdottir, G., Valdimarsson, H. (1979). The Immune Response in Subacute Sclerosing Panencephalitis. In: Tyrrell, D.A.J. (eds) Aspects of Slow and Persistent Virus Infections. New Perspectives in Clinical Microbiology, vol 2. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-9339-6_7
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-9339-6_7
Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht
Print ISBN: 978-94-009-9341-9
Online ISBN: 978-94-009-9339-6
eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive