Circulating immune complexes in patients with acute measles and rubella virus infections

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
A solid-phase [complement] C1q radioimmunoassay was used to test for immune complexes (IC) in sera obtained longitudinally from patients recovering from acute, uncomplicated measles and rubella virus infections. IC were detected in 12 (18.5%) of 65 sera from 14 measles patients who did not have prolonged IC formation. Of 12 IC-positive measles sera, 9 were collected .gtoreq. 4 wk after rash onset. Transient appearance of detectable circulating IC occurred sooner in 22 rubella patients who did not have prolonged IC formation. Of 109 rubella sera, 14 (12.8%) were IC-positive; of these, 10 were collected within 3 wk of rash onset. Prolonged IC formation was found for an additional 4 measles and 2 rubella virus patients. Fractionation of sera from these 6 patients revealed that levels of large-sized IC were highest in the initial 10 days after rash onset. Levels of large-sized IC then declined to those for medium- and small- (approximately IgG)-sized IC. IC-associated virus-specific antigens were detected in some of the sera from the 6 patients having prolonged IC formation. Measles and rubella virus patients may differ in the timing of virus clearance or in the reestablishment of normal immunity after infection, and virus clearance possibly is prolonged in some measles and rubella virus patients who have seemingly normal recoveries from their infections.