title: Subacute sclerosing panencephalitis in Croatia (1994-2004).
abstract: We studied five patients with SSPE during a 10-year period (1994-2004). The first clinical symptoms developed at the age of 5-11 years. All patients were vaccinated regularly against measles according to the official immunization schedule. One patient had measles at the age of 18 months. Two of them had a history of morbilliform rash (unrecognized measles) at the age of six and seven months, respectively. In two patients, with no history of measles before vaccination the disease started after varicella infection. Using complement-fixation (F) test and EIA, antibodies to measles virus (MV) were detected in the CSF and sera of all patients. The CF-antibody titers ranged from 1:1024 to 1:65536 in sera and from 1:16 to 1:128 in CSF samples. MV antigen was detected in brain imprints using IFA in two patients. Electron microscopic analysis revealed intranuclear viral inclusions (MV nucleocapsids). Using RT-PCR, viral RNA was found in both patients. Nucleotide sequence analysis showed that the viruses found in the brain tissue belonged to the wild-type MV D6 genotype [7].
authors.affiliation: Croatian National Institute of Public Health, Zagreb. tatjana.vilibic-cavlek@hzjz.hr
authors.forename: Tatjana Vilibic
authors.initials: TV
authors.lastname: Cavlek
authors.forename: Suncanica Ljubin
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Sternak
authors.forename: Bernard
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Kaic
authors.forename: Kamelija
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Zarkovic
authors.forename: Branka Marusic Della
authors.initials: BM
authors.lastname: Marina
authors.forename: Ljerka Cvitanovic
authors.initials: LC
authors.lastname: Sojat
authors.forename: Anica
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Basnec
authors.forename: Gordana Mlinaric
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: Galinovic
mesh_terms: D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000097:blood / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid; D000956:Antigens, Viral / Q000032:analysis; D001921:Brain / Q000821:virology; D002467:Cell Nucleus / Q000821:virology; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003168:Complement Fixation Tests; D017523:Croatia; D005260:Female; D005455:Fluorescent Antibody Technique; D006801:Humans; D007124:Immunoenzyme Techniques; D002479:Inclusion Bodies; D008297:Male; D008457:Measles; D008458:Measles Vaccine / Q000008:administration & dosage; D008459:Measles virus / Q000276:immunology / Q000302:isolation & purification; D046529:Microscopy, Electron, Transmission; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000032:analysis / Q000235:genetics; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D017385:Sequence Homology; D013344:Subacute Sclerosing Panencephalitis / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000821:virology
chemical_list: D000914:Antibodies, Viral; D000956:Antigens, Viral; D008458:Measles Vaccine; D012367:RNA, Viral