Antibodies to cerebellar soluble lectin CSL in multiple sclerosis.

Cerebrospinal fluid samples from 239 patients with various neurological disorders were tested for the presence of autoantibodies to an endogenous mannose-binding protein, the cerebellar soluble lectin CSL, by means of an immunoblotting test with rat CSL as antigen. 47 of 51 patients with multiple sclerosis were positive for anti-CSL compared with 30 of 188 patients with other neurological disorders. 14 of the 30 false-positive patients were over 60 years old, an age group not typical of multiple sclerosis patients. The specificity of the test for multiple sclerosis was 85% and the sensitivity 93.5%. The possibility that CSL is an important immunological target in multiple sclerosis allows new insights into the possible causes and development of this disorder.