Combination therapy with intraventricular interferon-alpha and ribavirin for subacute sclerosing panencephalitis and monitoring measles virus RNA by quantitative PCR assay.
Subacute sclerosing panencephalitis (SSPE) is a degenerative disease of the central nervous system that leads to death within a few years. Recently, it has been reported that combination therapy with intraparenchymal interferon-alpha (INF-alpha) and intraventricular ribavirin is effective. An 11-year-old SSPE patient whose clinical symptoms progressed rapidly, was treated first with intraventricular INF-alpha and then with combined intraventricular INF-alpha and ribavirin therapy. To monitor viral load over the course of the therapy, measles virus RNA was quantified using a real-time polymerase chain reaction assay. Measles virus RNA decreased rapidly after the INF-alpha therapy was started, paralleling the decrease in the measles antibody titer in the cerebrospinal fluid and the improvement in the neurological disability. After intraventricular ribavirin was combined with INF-alpha therapy, no further improvement was observed. The neurological disability gradually progressed, although the amount of virus RNA remained low.
Hara
Shinya
S
Department of Pediatrics, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, 65 Tsurumai-cho, Showa-ku, Nagoya 466-8550, Japan.
Kimura
Hiroshi
H
Hoshino
Yo
Y
Hayashi
Naomi
N
Negoro
Tamiko
T
Okumura
Akihisa
A
Kajita
Yasuichi
Y
Sakuma
Takashi
T
Nakayama
Tetsuo
T
Hosoya
Mitsuaki
M
Tomoda
Akemi
A
Morisima
Tsuneo
T
D000998:Antiviral Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001769:Blood / Q000821:virology; D002555:Cerebrospinal Fluid / Q000821:virology; D002648:Child; D018450:Disease Progression; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D006801:Humans; D007276:Injections, Intraventricular; D016898:Interferon-alpha / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008297:Male; D008459:Measles virus / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D012313:RNA / Q000378:metabolism; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000097:blood*; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000379:methods; D012254:Ribavirin / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D013344:Subacute Sclerosing Panencephalitis / Q000097:blood / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid / Q000188:drug therapy*
D000998:Antiviral Agents; D016898:Interferon-alpha; D012367:RNA, Viral; D012254:Ribavirin; D012313:RNA