[Results of catamnestic, neurological and psychological investigations in children suffering from cytomegaly virus infection, diagnosed in neonates (author's transl)]. / Ergebnisse katamnestischer, neurologischer und leistungspsychologischer Untersuchungen bei Kindern mit einer z. T. im Neugeborenenalter gesicherten Cytomegalievirusinfektion

Report on results of follow-up in 10 children, in 9 of whom clinical findings at the age between 6 and 11 months suggested the diagnosis of connatal cytomegaly. All 10 children secreted cytomegaly virus in the urine. In 3 of them post-natal infection appears probable. Follow-up was carried out at the ages between 3 and 5.9 years. Physical development was delayed in 4, severe neurologic damage occurred in 2, medium severe or minimal, in part reversible, neurologic signs in 3 childrens. The 2 most severely neurologically damaged children could not be examined psychologically. The IQ of the other 8 was between 92 and 105. 3 children showed in individual other tests only minor, insignificant loss of performance, 2 more pronounced defects which suggested cerebral damage.

Demonstration of in vitro lymphocyte-mediated cytotoxicity against measles virus in SSPE.

Patients with subacute sclerosing panencephalitis (SSPE) are presumed to lack specific cellular immunity against measles virus. In order to test this hypothesis in vitro, the interaction between peripheral lymphocytes and measles virus-infected tissue culture cells was investigated in 10 SSPE patients. Human fibroblasts, either uninfected or carrying a persistent measles virus infection, were labeled with 51Cr and incubated with lymphocytes for 18 to 20 hr in the absence of antibody and complement. Peripheral lymphocytes from measles sero-positive and sero-negative individuals were tested, and the system was found to be virus specific. The lymphocytes from the 10 SSPE patients caused specific cytotoxicity of target cells. A correlation was not found between antibody titer and specific 51Cr release. It could also be domonstrated that target cell destruction was not mediated by monocytes or B lymphocytes. These in vitro studies suggest that SSPE patients do not have a specific defect of cellular immunity against measles virus.