IgM antibodies in sera from patients with chronic active hepatitis reacting with the measles virus matrix protein and nucleoprotein.

The antigenic specificity of measles virus IgM antibodies in sera from patients with chronic active hepatitis not caused by hepatitis B virus has been examined. An immunosorbent column containing antihuman IgM covalently bound to Sepharose was used to pick up IgM from the sera. Radiolabelled measles virus antigens were then allowed to react with the IgM antibodies. The immune complexes were eluted and analysed by sodium dodecyl sulfate [SDS]-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Four sera from patients with hepatitis B surface antigen [HBsAg]-negative chronic active hepatitis with high measles virus haemagglutination inhibition [HI] and complement fixation [CF] antibody titres and positive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay [ELISA] for measles-virus-specific IgM were examined. The results were compared with those obtained using sera from patients with an acute measles virus infection and from healthy controls. In both patient groups, IgM antibodies with specificity against the matrix protein represented the major portion of the measles virus IgM. IgM antibodies against the measles virus nucleoprotein and probably against host-cell-derived actin were also present. The patient sera contained only traces of IgM antibodies with specificity against the measles virus haemagglutinin or fusion protein. No specific IgM antibodies were found in sera from healthy controls.