Simultaneous serum and CSF antibodies in herpes simplex virus encephalitis

JAMA. 1978 Jul 28;240(4):356-60.

Abstract

Serial concomitant paired sera (S) and CSF were taken from eight patients with biopsy-proved herpes simplex virus encephalitis (HSVE). These specimen pairs were compared with 28 others from patients with various neurologic conditions. Before and after reduction with 2-mercaptoethanol, a ratio of S/CSF antibody titers of less than or equal to 20 with either the passive hemagglutinating (PHA) or immune adherence hemagglutinating (IAHA) antibody tests occurred in every patient with HSVE. Diagnostic S/CSF ratios were noted in three patients before biopsy of the brain and in four patients by the tenth day of neurologic disease. Among control subjects, a ratio of S/CSF titers greater than 20 was observed in all but four patients. Each of the latter patients had neurologic diagnoses easily distinguishable from HSVE. The PHA or IAHA S/CSF ratio offers a rapid, reliable method for the diagnosis of HSVE (P less than .001).

Publication types

  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Antibodies, Viral / analysis*
  • Antibodies, Viral / cerebrospinal fluid*
  • Biopsy
  • Brain / pathology
  • Encephalitis / diagnosis*
  • Encephalitis / etiology
  • Encephalitis / immunology
  • Female
  • Hemagglutination Tests
  • Herpes Simplex / diagnosis*
  • Herpes Simplex / immunology
  • Herpes Simplex / microbiology
  • Humans
  • Immune Adherence Reaction
  • Male
  • Simplexvirus / immunology*
  • Simplexvirus / isolation & purification

Substances

  • Antibodies, Viral