title: Is West Nile Virus infection associated with myasthenia gravis?
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Myasthenia Gravis (MG) is an autoimmune disease which is characterised by disruption of signal transmission at neuromuscular junction. We aimed to search about a newly reported association between MG and West Nile Virus (WNV) infection.
  
  
  METHODS
  We searched WNV IgG by ELISA in serum samples of 50 available MG patients and 38 controls.
  
  
  RESULTS
  None of the samples gave positive results for past WNV infection.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  No evidence of past WNV infection was found in our study population of MG patients. This may have been because MG has been showed to be related with neuroinvasive WNV, which none of our study subjects seem to have had based on their stories. New multicentre studies focusing on immunological mechanisms and held with larger groups or especially neuroinvasive disease patients can cast light onto the answer of this question.
authors.affiliation: Specialist, Department of Infectious Disease and Clinical Microbiology, Dışkapı Education and Research Hospital, Ankara, Turkey aybalaaltay@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: Fatma Aybala
authors.initials: FA
authors.lastname: Altay
authors.affiliation: Associate Professor, Department of Neurology, Dışkapı Education and Research Hospital, Ankara, Turkey.
authors.forename: Hayat
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Güven
authors.affiliation: Specialist, Department of Infectious Disease and Clinical Microbiology, Dışkapı Education and Research Hospital, Ankara, Turkey.
authors.forename: Gönül Çiçek
authors.initials: GÇ
authors.lastname: Şentürk
authors.affiliation: Junior Doctor, Department of Neurology, Dışkapı Education and Research Hospital, Ankara, Turkey.
authors.forename: Sevgi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ferik
authors.affiliation: Professor, Department of Infectious Disease and Clinical Microbiology, Dışkapı Education and Research Hospital, Ankara, Turkey.
authors.forename: İrfan
authors.initials: İ
authors.lastname: Şencan
authors.affiliation: Professor, Department of Neurology, Dışkapı Education and Research Hospital, Ankara, Turkey.
authors.forename: Selçuk
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Çomoğlu
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000097:blood; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D047908:Intracellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009157:Myasthenia Gravis / Q000209:etiology / Q000821:virology*; D012318:RNA Polymerase I; D014421:Turkey; D014901:West Nile Fever / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications*; D014902:West Nile virus / Q000276:immunology / Q000302:isolation & purification*
chemical_list: D000914:Antibodies, Viral; D047908:Intracellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins; C119975:POLR1G protein, human; D012318:RNA Polymerase I
keywords: Autoimmune; West Nile Virus; myasthenia gravis; neuroinvasive