Subacute measles encephalitis in an immunocompetent adult

Subacute sclerosing panencephalitis (SSPE) and subacute measles encephalitis (SME) are both rare complications of measles virus infection. SSPE typically affects immunocompetent children, has an insidious onset and follows a steadily progressive course. SME mainly occurs in immunosuppressed children...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of clinical neuroscience 2002-09, Vol.9 (5), p.600-604
Main Authors: Croxson, M.C., Anderson, N.E., Vaughan, A.A., Hutchinson, D.O., Schroeder, B.A., Cluroe, A.D., Hyatt, A.D.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
Biological and medical sciences
Brain - pathology
Brain - virology
Electroencephalography
Encephalitis - etiology
Encephalitis - pathology
Encephalitis - virology
Fatal Outcome
Human viral diseases
Humans
Immunocompetence
Infectious diseases
Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Male
Measles - complications
Measles - pathology
Measles - virology
measles, encephalitis, subacute sclerosing panencephalitis, polymerase chain reaction
Medical sciences
Microscopy, Electron
Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction
RNA, Viral - metabolism
Tomography, X-Ray Computed
Tropical medicine
Viral diseases
Viral diseases of the nervous system
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Summary:Subacute sclerosing panencephalitis (SSPE) and subacute measles encephalitis (SME) are both rare complications of measles virus infection. SSPE typically affects immunocompetent children, has an insidious onset and follows a steadily progressive course. SME mainly occurs in immunosuppressed children and has a rapidly progressive course. We describe a 43 year old immunocompetent man who presented with a rapidly progressive fatal encephalopathy. Histological examination of the brain showed a meningoencephalitis with inclusion bodies. Complement fixing antibody to measles virus was present in his serum and CSF. Measles virus RNA was found in the brain, spinal cord and eye, but not in the CSF. Analysis of the nucleoprotein gene isolated from this patient did not show similarity to SSPE strains of the measles virus. This patient demonstrates that subacute encephalitis secondary to measles virus infection can develop in an immunocompetent adult host.
ISSN:0967-5868
1532-2653
DOI:10.1054/jocn.2001.1062