ABSTRACT
The biological activity of monoclonal antibodies specific for the hemagglutinin protein of measles virus strain CAM recognizing six epitope groups according to their binding properties to measles virus strain CAM/R401 was investigated in vivo in our rat model of measles encephalitis. When injected intraperitoneally into measles virus-infected suckling rats, some monoclonal antibodies modified the disease process and prevented the necrotizing encephalopathy seen in untreated animals. The analysis of measles virus brain isolates revealed emergence of variants that resisted neutralization with the passively transferred selecting monoclonal antibody but not with other monoclonal antibodies. Monoclonal antibody escape mutants were also isolated in vitro, and their neurovirulence varied in the animal model. Sequence data from the hemagglutinin gene of measles virus localize a major antigenic surface determinant of the hemagglutinin protein between amino acid residues 368 and 396, which may be functionally important for neurovirulence. The data indicate that the interaction of antibodies with the measles virus H protein plays an important role in the selection of neurovirulent variants. These variants have biological properties different from those of the parent CAM virus.
Subject(s)
Brain/microbiology , Epitopes/immunology , Hemagglutinins, Viral/immunology , Measles virus/pathogenicity , Measles/immunology , Animals , Antibodies, Monoclonal/immunology , Antibodies, Monoclonal/pharmacology , Antibodies, Viral/immunology , Antibodies, Viral/pharmacology , Encephalitis/microbiology , Measles virus/drug effects , Measles virus/immunology , Mutation , Rats , Sequence Analysis , Virulence , WeaningABSTRACT
Schizophrenic patients typically have poor grooming and self-care skills, which hinder their social relationships and their chances of successful adaptation in the community. A practical and inexpensive program for teaching grooming skills to hospitalized chronic mental patients has been developed in a California state hospital. Patients are also taught to evaluate their grooming behavior and to carry out grooming activities independently. Grooming deficits and improvements are rated on an 11-category performance checklist. Two small-scale pilot studies showed that the program is efficacious and that nursing staff can effectively apply the procedures; in another study, the program was implemented on a large psychiatric unit with minimal staffing and resources.
