Antimyelin antibodies in neurologic diseases. Immunofluorescent demonstration.

Antimyelin binding activity was determined in patients with multiple sclerosis, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, other neurologic diseases, and normals. There was an increase in the group mean titer of antimyelin antibodies in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) in acute exacerbation, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and Guillain-Barré syndrome. A lesser degree of binding was found in normals of all ages. There was an increase in the incidence of antimyelin antibodies in the IgM class in patients with ALS and MS. The interaction between human immunoglobulins and myelin seems to be immunologically specific and has the nature of an antigen-antibody reaction.