UNUSUAL INTRANUCLEAR FILAMENTS IN CIRCULATING LYMPHOCYTES OF PATIENTS WITH MULTIPLE-SCLEROSIS AND OPTIC NEURITIS

  • 1 January 1976
    • journal article
    • research article
    • Vol. 83  (2) , 245-254
Abstract
Mononuclear cells obtained from the peripheral blood of patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) and optic neuritis (ON) were examined by EM. Unusual intranuclear filaments identical with the so-called paramyxovirus-like filaments were found in circulating lymphocytes from 5 patients with MS and 3 with ON. They were observed in 0.1-0.5% of the mononuclear cells. EM of the blood cells from 5 other patients with ON, 3 patients with neurologic diseases other than MS, and 4 normal subjects failed to reveal similar structures. The filaments were also absent from blood cells from normal subjects during the process of autolysis.