Abstract
Measles remains a significant cause of childhood morbidity and mortality. Hallmark of the disease is a generalized immune suppression that can last for several weeks to months after resolution of measles virus (MV) infection [1]–[3], resulting in increased susceptibility to opportunistic infections [4]–[7]. At the same time, measles is associated with immune activation and induces strong MV-specific immune responses that confer lifelong immunity [8]. This contradiction is known as the “measles paradox'. Although measles-associated immune suppression has been a subject of study since the beginning of the 20th century [9], the importance of possible underlying mechanisms remains disputed.
Highlights
Measles remains a significant cause of childhood morbidity and mortality
Measles is associated with lymphopenia [25] and extensive depletion of lymphocytes from lymphoid tissues [13,26,27]
Lymphocyte numbers return to normal within a week after clinical symptoms of measles have disappeared, while measles immune suppression extends for several weeks to months
Summary
Hallmark of the disease is a generalized immune suppression that can last for several weeks to months after resolution of measles virus (MV) infection [1,2,3], resulting in increased susceptibility to opportunistic infections [4,5,6,7]. Measles is associated with immune activation and induces strong MV-specific immune responses that confer lifelong immunity [8]. This contradiction is known as the ‘‘measles paradox’. In the majority of cases MV infection is self-limiting and induces strong virus-specific cellular and humoral immune responses resulting in lifelong immunity [20]. The immune system efficiently restricts MV replication and clears MVinfected cells
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
