Endogenous Interferon in the Cerebrospinal Fluid of Herpes Encephalitis Patients

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Abstract
Low titers of antiviral activity were found in the CSF of herpes encephalitis patients when using a sensitive interferon assay. With this dye-uptake assay on human fibroblasts, trisomic for chromosome 21, 1 IU of human fibroblast or leukocyte interferon/ml can unequivocally be determined. Eight CSF samples taken during the first 10 days of illness were antivirally active; one of 11 taken later proved positive. With the exception of 1 serum no interferon was found in the serum samples taken simultaneously with the CSF samples. By antibody neutralization using specific antisera against human fibroblast and leukocyte interferon it was found that the antivirally active substance is identical with or closely related to human leukocyte interferon.