A. Desai et al., JAPANESE ENCEPHALITIS-VIRUS ANTIGEN IN THE HUMAN BRAIN AND ITS TOPOGRAPHIC DISTRIBUTION, Acta Neuropathologica, 89(4), 1995, pp. 368-373
This study reports the pathological findings and the distribution of v
iral antigen in the brains of 13 confirmed and autopsied cases of Japa
nese encephalitis (JE) in correlation with other virus-specific immuno
logical parameters measured in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) antemorte
m. Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV)-specific antibodies were detected
in the CSF of 10 of 13 patients, JEV antigen was detected in the CSF
of 7 of 13 and JEV-specific immune complexes were detected in the CSF
of 3 of 11 patients. Viral antigen was localised immunocytochemically
in the brain tissue of 11 of 13 cases, indicating, that viral antigen
could not be cleared from the tissues by the antibody. The topographic
distribution of the tissue-associated antigen in the thalamus, hippoc
ampus, substantia nigra and medulla oblongata explain the evolution of
post JE sequelae.