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Marek's disease: A natural model for the Landry‐Guillain‐Barré syndrome
Author(s) -
Stevens Jack G.,
Pepose Jay S.,
Cook Margery L.
Publication year - 1981
Publication title -
annals of neurology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 4.764
H-Index - 296
eISSN - 1531-8249
pISSN - 0364-5134
DOI - 10.1002/ana.410090715
Subject(s) - marek's disease , disease , pathogenesis , etiology , guillain barre syndrome , virology , immunology , medicine , myelin , biology , virus , pathology , central nervous system
Abstract The early lesions of Marek's disease in chickens are indistinguishable from those of the Landry‐Guillain‐Barré Syndrome in human beings. Because of these similarities, and since the etiological agent (a herpesvirus) is known, Marek's disease can be meaningfully exploited as a model of the Landry‐Guillain‐Barré Syndrome. Recent work in our laboratories has shown that the agent establishes latent infections in neuronal supporting cells and that affected birds mount cellular and humoral immunological reactions to peripheral nerve and myelin. Based on these findings, a working hypothesis for the pathogenesis of the disease is presented.