LACK OF SERUM NEUTRALIZING ANTIBODY AGAINST POLIOVIRUS IN PATIENTS WITH JUVENILE DISTAL SPINAL MUSCULAR-ATROPHY OF UPPER EXTREMITIES

Serum neutralizing antibodies for type 1, 2 and 3 poliovirus were stud ied in 15 Chinese patients in Taiwan with juvenile distal spinal muscu lar atrophy of the upper extremities and 15 age-matched normal subject s. Significantly lower serum antibody titers were found in the study g roup, suggesting that patients with this chronic focal form of acquire d motor neuron disease are, to some degree, immunologically unresponsi ve to the neutralizing epitope of poliovirus.