Antibodies to borna disease virus in subacute sclerosing panencephalitis

• Published in: The Pediatric infectious disease journal Vol. 24; no. 9; p. 833
• Main Authors: Güngör, Serdal, Anlar, Banu, Turan, Nuri, Yilmaz, Hüseyin, Helps, Chris R, Harbour, Dave A
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States 01.09.2005
• Subjects: Adolescent; Age Distribution; Animals; Antibodies, Viral - analysis; Antibodies, Viral - immunology; Borna Disease - diagnosis; Borna Disease - epidemiology; Borna Disease - immunology; Borna disease virus - immunology; Borna disease virus - isolation & purification; Case-Control Studies; Child; Child, Preschool; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; Female; Follow-Up Studies; Humans; Incidence; Male; Probability; Reference Values; Risk Assessment; Sensitivity and Specificity; Serologic Tests; Sex Distribution; SSPE Virus - immunology; SSPE Virus - isolation & purification; Subacute Sclerosing Panencephalitis - diagnosis; Subacute Sclerosing Panencephalitis - epidemiology; Subacute Sclerosing Panencephalitis - immunology; Survival Rate
• ISSN: 0891-3668
• DOI: 10.1097/01.inf.0000178307.70429.75

Mechanisms causing persistence and reactivation of measles virus in subacute sclerosing panencephalitis (SSPE) are unknown. Borna disease virus (BDV) frequently causes latent or persistent infection in the nervous system. We investigated a possible association of these viruses in SSPE. Although BDV seropositivity was similar in SSPE and control groups, SSPE patients with high antibodies to BDV had earlier and more rapid disease. The findings suggest that BDV might be involved in the course, but not in the etiopathogenesis, of SSPE.