Search for viral particles and virus-specific products in idiopathic Parkinson disease brain material.

Virological studies were performed on brain material from 9 patients with idiopathic Parkinson disease and 3 matched controls. Electron microscopy and indirect immunofluorescent study were carried out directly on autopsy material from substantia nigra, caudate nucleus, and hypothalamus and on primary tissue culture explants of these brain areas grown alone or in cocultivation with virus-susceptible indicator cell lines. All studies were negative for the presence of viral particles, viral inclusions, or cellular changes suggestive of virus infection. All materials were negative for antigens of herpes simplex type 1, influenza A/NWS, and measles (Edmonston strain) viruses. Within the limits of these tehcniques, there is no evidence at this time that viruses are an important etiological agent in idiopathic Parkinson disease.