Serological Detection of Measles Virus in Relation to Autoimmunity

[Guest guest]

>

Bypassing the Measles mention - the myelin reference here is interesting ..

Dr Singh is hard at work!

> Serological Detection of Measles Virus in Relation to Autoimmunity in Autism

>

> 102nd General Meeting of the American Society for Microbiology

> May 19-23, 2002, Salt Lake City, Utah, Presentation V-5

>

> V.K. Singh, R.L. Jensen, J. J. Bradstreet

> Utah State University and the International Child Development Resource

> Center

>

> Abstract: Autoimmunity to brain myelin protein (MBP) secondary to a

> measles infection may cause autistic regression in some children with this

> neurodevelopmental disorder.

> We hypothesized that measles-mumps- rubella (MMR) immunization is a

> source of measles infection; hence the serological link between MMR and MBP

> antibodies might exist in autistic children.

> To test the hypothesis, we conducted a serological study of MBP, MMR

> and neuron- axon filament protein (NAFP) in serum and cerebral spinal fluid

> (CSF) of autistic children.

> Antibodies were assayed by immunoblotting with MBP, NAFP and MMR as

> antigens.

> We found that a significant number of autistic children had antibodies

> to MBP (up to 88% positive) and antibodies to MMR (up to 65% positive), but

> not to NAFP.

> Normal children did not harbor these antibodies.

> Moreover, the analysis of paired samples (serum and CSF) from 7

> autistic children also revealed a high degree of serological association

> between MMR and MBP: 50% of CSF had MMR antibodies, 86% of CSF had MBP

> antibodies, 75% of sera had MMR antibodies and 100% of sera had MBP

> antibodies.

> Therefore, as indicated by paired analysis of serum and CSF samples,

> there is a strong correlation between MMR antibodies and MBP autoantibodies

> in autism.

> By using monoclonal antibodies, we characterized that the MMR

> antibodies are due to the measles subunit, but not due to mumps or rubella

> subunits, of the polyvalent vaccine.

> Furthermore, the MMR and MBP antibodies are not cross-reactive because

> the pre-incubation of MBP with MMR did not block the binding of MBP

> antibodies.

> In light of the new evidence presented here, we suggest that the MMR

> vaccine in some cases of autism might cause autoimmunity and it might do so

> by bringing on an atypical measles infection that does not produce a typical

> measles rash but manifests neurological symptoms upon immunization.

> Note: The MMR antibody has been previously reported to be the

> hemaggluttin protein of the vaccine measles virus (MV-HA).

> " Immunoblotting analysis showed the presence of an unusual MMR

> antibody in 60% (75 of 125) of autistic children, but none of the 92 normal

> children had this antibody. Moreover, by using MMR blots and monoclonal

> antibodies, we found that the specific increase of MV antibodies or 'MMR'

> antibodies was related to measles hemagglutinin antigen (MV-HA) " (Singh, VK.

> Abnormal Measles Serology and Autoimmunity in Autistic Children, Journal of

> Allergy and Clinical Immunology 109, no. 1, page S232, Jan. 2002.)

> It is confirmed here (in an additional population) that this antibody

> is not typically produced during normal immune response to the vaccine.

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