IGM ANTIBODY AGAINST MEASLES-VIRUS IN PATIENTS WITH INFLAMMATORY BOWEL-DISEASE - A MARKER OF VIRUS-RELATED DISEASE

Objective: Viral infections of the mesenteric microvascular endotheliu m have been hypothesized as pathogenetic factors in inflammatory bowel diseases. The aim of this study was to determine whether immunoglobul in M (IgM) antibody against measles virus is associated with disease. Patients and methods: The IgM antibody was detected by indirect antibo dy test in 36 patients with evidence of Crohn's disease (23 males and 13 females, median age 40 years, range 20-66), 22 patients with ulcera tive colitis (14 males and 8 females, median age 42 years, range 19-65 ), 59 patients with a chronic active hepatitis (35 males and 24 female s, median age 56 years, range 38-77) and 30 blood donors (20 males and 10 females, median age 45 years, range 29-62). Results: Twenty-eight of 36 patients (78%) with Crohn's disease and 13 of 22 patients (59%) with ulcerative colitis tested positive as compared to only 3 of 89 (3 .3%) controls (P less than or equal to 0.001). Conclusion: The detecti on of IgM anti-measles virus in the majority of patients with Crohn's disease and in about half of ulcerative colitis patients as compared t o a very low prevalence in patients with other chronic inflammatory di sease is consistent with the hypothesis that the measles virus has pat hogenetic implications in inflammatory bowel diseases.