title: A sensitive radioimmunoassay for circulating alpha-interferon in the plasma of healthy children and patients with measles virus infection.
abstract: The mean circulating alpha-interferon of healthy children aged 2 to 13.5 yrs as measured by a radioimmunoassay was 0.119 +/- 0.031 ng/ml, which was significantly lower than that of young adults. Circulating alpha-interferon of children with measles virus infection aged 1 to 11 yrs, on their first visit to the hospital when they were fully symptomatic, was 0.095 +/- 0.035 ng/ml (n = 39). It was 0.105 +/- 0.070 ng/ml (n = 21) on their second visit, 7 to 10 days after their first visit when the patients were convalescent. The difference was statistically insignificant. It is concluded that immunoreactive circulating alpha-interferon is low in children and reaches maximum level in young adults, subsequently declining gradually with age. Immunoreactive circulating alpha-interferon, a possible reflection of endogenous alpha-interferon, does not change significantly by the infection of measles virus.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Kobe University School of Medicine, Japan.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Shiozawa
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Yoshikawa
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Iijima
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Negishi
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D000293:Adolescent; D000375:Aging / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007370:Interferon Type I / Q000097:blood*; D008297:Male; D008457:Measles / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology*; D011863:Radioimmunoassay
chemical_list: D007370:Interferon Type I