N. Yuki et al., CORRELATION BETWEEN CYTOMEGALOVIRUS-INFECTION AND IGM ANTI-MAG SGPG ANTIBODY-ASSOCIATED NEUROPATHY/, Annals of neurology, 44(3), 1998, pp. 408-410
IgM anti-myelin-associated glycoprotein (anti-MAG)/sulfated glucuronyl
paragloboside (SGPG) antibody is found in some patients with chronic
polyneuropathy (CP). An antigen-driven process is considered to induce
this autoantibody, but the agent has yet to be identified. It has bee
n reported that sera from cytomegalovirus (CMV)infected patients conta
ined anti-SGPG antibody. To clarify the mechanism of the production of
the anti-MAG/ SGPG antibody, we investigated CMV DNA in sera from 26
patients with IgM anti-MAG/SGPG antibody-positive CP. Twenty-three (88
%) had CMV DNA. The positive frequency was significantly higher than t
he frequencies in sera from patients with IgM anti-MAG/SGPG-negative C
P, the other disease controls, and the normal control subjects. There
were no statistical differences in the frequencies of Epstein-Barr vir
us DNA between anti-MAG/ SGPG-positive and anti-MAG/SGPG-negative CP a
nd between anti-MAG/SGPG-positive CP and each disease control. Moreove
r, no herpes simplex virus 1 DNA was detected in the sera from patient
s with anti-MAG/SGPG positive CP. The strong correlation of anti-MAG/S
GPG positive CP with the presence of serum CMV DNA suggests that CMV i
nfection induces the IgM anti-MAG/SGPG antibody.