This Article  • References  • Full text PDF  • Reply to article  • Send to a friend  • Save in My Folder  • Save to citation manager  • Permissions  Citing Articles  • Citation map  • Citing articles on HighWire  • Contact me when this article is cited  Related Content  • Similar articles in this journal  Social Bookmarking   What's this?

Unusual Nuclear Inclusions and Lengthy Clinical Course

Monique Dubois-Dalcq, MD; Jay M. Coblentz, MD; A. Bernard Pleet, MD

Arch Neurol. 1974;31(6):355-363.

Abstract
Laboratory findings from a new case of subacute sclerosing panencephalitis included (1) burst-suppression electroencephalographic pattern, (2) elevation of the spinal fluid -globulin level, and (3) increased measles serum and spinal fluid antibody titers. These findings were examined in light of clinical features suggesting progressive gray and white matter involvement.

Electron microscopical study of brain biopsy material revealed unusual nuclear inclusions in the nerve cells in addition to the typical paramyxovirus nucleocapsids. When compared with in vitro systems, viral maturation in brain appeared to be blocked at the cell membrane level and, consequently, no complete virus was formed. Possibly a partial defect in synthesis of the fuzzy nucleocapsids was also present. This peculiar incomplete viral maturation may be the expression of a genetic variant of measles virus.

Author Affiliations
From the Infectious Diseases Branch, National Institutes of Health (Dr. Dubois-Dalcq), and the Department of Neurology, National Naval Medical Center (Drs. Coblentz and Pleet), Bethesda, Md. Dr. Dubois-Dalcq was a postdoctoral fellow from the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, USA, while performing this work.

Footnotes
Accepted for publication April 17, 1974.

Reprint requests to Infectious Diseases Branch, National Institute of Neurological Diseases and Stroke, Bldg 36, Room 5C-12, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20014 (Dr. Dubois-Dalcq).

CiteULike    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    Twitter     What's this?

THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES

Observation of Measles Virus Cell-to-Cell Spread in Astrocytoma Cells by Using a Green Fluorescent Protein-Expressing Recombinant Virus
Duprex et al.
J. Virol. 1999;73:9568-9575.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Two Cases of Rapidly Progressive Subacute Sclerosing Panencephalitis: Neuropathological Findings
Silva et al.
Arch Neurol 1981;38:109-113.
ABSTRACT  

Substantial Spontaneous Long-term Improvement in Subacute Sclerosing Panencephalitis: Six Cases From the Middle East and a Review of the Literature
Risk et al.
Arch Neurol 1978;35:494-502.
ABSTRACT