Electron microscopic findings in a case of fatal human measles pneumonia

Abstract

The patient, a 9-month-old male infant, was born at 37 weeks and 3 days of fetal age. At 2 months before his death, the patient was found to have measles pneumonia, as a high titer of antimeasles virus antibody was demonstrated by the ELISA method. This case of interstitial pneumonia was caused by the measles virus, with intracytoplasmic inclusion bodies in giant cells and type II alveolar cells in alveolar and bronchiolar spaces, with rare intra-nuclear inclusion bodies. The inclusion bodies indicated a positive response on immunohistochemical reaction using antimeasles polyclonal and antimeasles monoclonal antibodies. Electron microscopic and immunoelectron microscopic studies revealed that the inclusion bodies were composed of electron-dense filamentous or amorphous substances and rod-shaped materials with a microtubular structure 15–20 nm in diameter that stained intensely with immunogold particles.