ANTIBODY RESPONSE TO STRUCTURAL PROTEINS OF MEASLES VIRUS IN PATIENTS WITH NATURAL MEASLES AND SUBACUTE SCLEROSING PANENCEPHALITIS

Abstract
By immunoprecipitation and sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, antibody responses to the structural proteins of measles virus were examined in patients with various forms of natural measles, atypical measles and subacute sclerosing panencephalitis (SSPE). The serum of atypical measles most strongly reacted with 4 structural proteins, i.e., hemagglutinin (H), nucleocapside (NC), fusion (F) and matrix (M) proteins. In natural measles, antibodies to the 4 structural proteins were detected as early as 1 mo. after the onset of disease. In late convalescent sera taken 9 yr after natural measles, antibodies to the 4 structural proteins were detected as early as 1 mo. after the onset of disease. In late convalescent sera taken 9 yr after natural measles, only low level antibody to M protein was present, antibodies to H, NC and F proteins persisted. The sera and CSF of SSPE patients showed patterns similar to those of late convalescent sera. In African green monkey kidney Vero cells infected with cell-associated SSPE viruses (Niigata-1, ZH and SI strains), M protein was not clearly demonstrated with sera of atypical measles or SSPE patients; H protein was demonstrated.