title: Measles viral load may reflect SSPE disease progression.
abstract: Subacute sclerosing panencephalitis (SSPE) is a rare, slowly progressive neurological disorder caused by the persistent infection with measles virus (MV). Despite much research into SSPE, its pathology remains obscure. We examined autopsy tissues of eight SSPE patients by real time quantitative PCR, immunohistochemistry and immunoblotting to determine viral load. MV N, M and H gene RNA could be detected in the central nervous system (CNS) of all patients and in two non-CNS tissues of one patient. The viral burden between patients differed up to four-fold by quantitative PCR and corresponded with detection of MV protein. The level of both viral RNA and antigen in the brain may correlate with disease progression.
authors.affiliation: Virus Reference Department, Centre for Infections, Health Protection Agency, 61 Colindale Avenue, London NW9 5HT, UK. mirjam.kuhne@hpa.org.uk
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kühne Simmonds
authors.forename: D W G
authors.initials: DW
authors.lastname: Brown
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Jin
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001921:Brain / Q000821:virology; D018450:Disease Progression; D005260:Female; D006389:Hemagglutinins, Viral / Q000235:genetics; D006801:Humans; D015151:Immunoblotting; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008297:Male; D008457:Measles / Q000150:complications* / Q000821:virology*; D008459:Measles virus / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000502:physiology*; D019590:Nucleocapsid Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000032:analysis; D013190:SSPE Virus / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000502:physiology; D013344:Subacute Sclerosing Panencephalitis / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000821:virology*; D019562:Viral Load; D014763:Viral Matrix Proteins / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D006389:Hemagglutinins, Viral; C119679:M protein, SSPE virus; D019590:Nucleocapsid Proteins; D012367:RNA, Viral; D014763:Viral Matrix Proteins