Immunosuppression caused by measles virus: role of viral proteins

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Abstract
Measles virus (MV) causes transient but profound immunosuppression resulting in increased susceptibility to secondary bacterial and viral infections. Due to the development of these opportunistic infections, measles remains the leading vaccine‐preventable cause of child death worldwide. Different immune abnormalities have been associated with measles, including disappearance of delayed‐type hypersensitivity reactions, impaired lymphocyte and antigen‐presenting cell functions, down‐regulation of pro‐inflammatory interleukin 12 production and altered interferon α/β signalling pathways. Several MV proteins have been suggested to hinder immune functions: hemagglutinin, fusion protein, nucleoprotein and the non‐structural V and C proteins. This review will focus on the novel functions attributed to MV proteins in the immunosuppression associated with measles. Here, we highlight new advances in the field, emphasising the interaction between MV proteins and their cellular targets, in particular the cell membrane receptors, CD46, CD150, TLR2 and FcγRII in the induction of immunological abnormalities associated with measles. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.