Determination of Oligoclonal Gammaglobulin in the CSF of Children with Subacute and Chronic CNS-Infections by Quantitative Agarosegel Electrophoresis: 44

Abstract

CSF-proteins of 13oo children and adolescents with different neurologic diseases and of 75 normal controls were examined by zone electrophoresis in agarosegel and by immunologic techniques. The quantitative evaluation of the phoretogramms by an analog computer revealed in 68 patients who suffered from subacute or chronic CNS-infections marked changes of the γ-globulin profile. 32 out of 37 children with congenital infections showed a marked increase of γ-globulin during the first two years. One half of these patients revealed 1-5 oligoclonal IgG-fractions (comprising 0.6 - 15.5 % of total protein), that persisted for at least several months.Though γ-globulin was increased only in 3 out of 6 patients with multiple sclerosis, 2-5 oligoclonal IgG-fractions (5.5 -20.4 % of total protein) appeared in all cases. In 16 children suffering from subacute sclerosing panencephalitis oligoclonal IgG (5-7 subfractions) amounted to 20.1 - 56.1 % of total protein. Furthermore, 1-5 oligoclonal IgG bands (8.2 - 35.5 % of total protein) were found in the CSF of 5 children during prolonged non-bacterial meningitis, in 2 patients with chronic aseptic meningoencephalitis, and in 2 cases of subacute bacterial meningitis. Since oligoclonal IgG occurred only in the CSF of cases of subacute or chronic neurologic infections (with the exception of leukemia and medulloblastoma) this finding could mean persistance of antigen in the CNS and pathologic invasion of lymphocytes into the CNS with selective proliferation of antigen-stimulated clones.