title: Interferon status after measles virus infection.
abstract: Peripheral blood leucocytes from patients who had recently had measles infection were examined for their ability to produce alpha- or gamma-interferon, their antiviral state and the level of E enzyme. These results were compared with peripheral blood leucocytes from healthy control subjects. The results show that while peripheral blood leucocytes from control patients produced alpha- and gamma-interferon, those from the measles patients produced only alpha-interferon. The peripheral blood leucocytes from all the measles patients were in an antiviral state whereas those from only 20% of the controls were in this state. Since gamma-interferon is mainly produced by T lymphocytes, the lack of gamma-interferon production by peripheral blood leucocytes from patients with measles correlates with previously reported depressed T-cell function in patients after measles infection.
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007370:Interferon Type I / Q000097:blood*; D007371:Interferon-gamma / Q000097:blood*; D007962:Leukocytes / Q000032:analysis; D008297:Male; D008457:Measles / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D007370:Interferon Type I; D007371:Interferon-gamma