Measles-specific IgG in CSF and serum from patients with subacute sclerosing panencephalitis.

Sera and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) from five subacute sclerosing panencephalitis (SSPE) patients were absorbed with a concentrated preparation of cell cultures infected with measles virus. The precipitates containing measles antigen-antibody complex were washed and measles-specific IgG was eluted at low pH. When the profiles of measles-specific IgG eluted from sera and the corresponding CSF were compared in immunofixation after isoelectric focusing they showed almost identical oligoclonal band patterns with respect to number, intensity, isoelectric point and light chain class. The results suggest that the same cell clones are responsible for the synthesis of measles-specific IgG in the central nervous system and serum of patients with SSPE.