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Detection of Poliovirus Antibodies and Poliovirus Genome in Patients with the Post‐Polio Syndrome
Author(s) -
LEONMONZON MARTA E.,
DALAKAS MARINOS C.
Publication year - 1995
Publication title -
annals of the new york academy of sciences
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.712
H-Index - 248
eISSN - 1749-6632
pISSN - 0077-8923
DOI - 10.1111/j.1749-6632.1995.tb27547.x
Subject(s) - poliovirus , poliomyelitis , virology , antibody , medicine , virus , immunology
To investigate the role of poliovirus (PV) infection in the development of the post-polio syndrome (PPS), we studied the serum, spinal fluid, peripheral blood lymphocytes, and muscle from 47 patients with PPS. We found high titers of IgM PV antibodies (up to 1:250) in the serum of 6 patients, compared to very low titers (less than 1:50) in normal subjects or disease controls. By polymerase chain reaction, using primers of the replicase PV gene, we amplified PV sequences in the peripheral blood lymphocytes in 7 of 37 patients and in the CSF in 4 of 40 patients, but in none of the controls. Sequencing of the amplified product confirmed that it belonged to PV type 1 with a 99.3% homology. We conclude that some patients with PPS have in the serum high titers of IgM anti-PV antibodies, implying an ongoing antibody response to a viral antigen. The presence of PV-RNA in the CSF or lymphocytes suggests possible persistence of mutated virus or defective PV particles. The significance of these findings in the pathogenesis of PPS remains to be determined.