DIAGNOSIS OF MEASLES VIRAL PNEUMONIA IN A PATIENT WITH HODGKINS-DISEASE BY REVERSE TRANSCRIPTION-POLYMERASE CHAIN-REACTION OF SERUM

We report a case of fatal measles viral pneumonia in a patient with Ho dgkin's disease who had no rash. The measles viral cDNA. was detected in autopsy tissue from the lung by reverse transcription-polymerase ch ain reaction. This method was then applied successfully to stored seru m. The diagnosis of measles viral pneumonia may be improved by the app lication of RT-PCR using peripheral blood. Sequence analysis of amplif ied cDNA suggested the virus infecting this patient was a recent strai n, predominantly isolated after 1980. The fatal outcome may have been due to a lack of immune response to the newer strain. (C) 1998 Elsevie r Science Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.