Myelin basic protein in CSF and blood. Relationship between its presence and the occurrence of a destructive process in the brains of encephalitic patients
C. Jacque, A. Delassalle, G. Rancurel, M. Raoul, B. Lesourd and J. C. Legrand
Serum and CSF levels of myelin basic protein (MBP) were measured in 50
patients with encephalitis of various origins and severity. In nearly 50%,
the CSF samples were found to display immunoreactivity of MBP. Positivity
was found to be correlated with the severity of the clinical signs. More
precisely, it corresponded to cases with suspected extensive brain
destruction. No relationship could be observed with the cause of disease.
Positive tests of sera were infrequent, even from patients whose CSF was
rich in MBP. Longitudinal studies performed on 20 patients who were
serially investigated during periods ranging from three weeks to 18 months
demonstrated that after an attack, MBP liberation into the CSF persists for
one to three weeks. The MBP assay should serve as an index for destruction
of nervous tissue.
