Pathogenesis of viral encephalitis: demonstration of viral antigen(s) in the brain endothelium.

One of the enigmas in the pathogenesis of inflammation is why the white cells adhere to the endothelium. In trying to define the pathogenic mechanism, we carried out experiments on ferrets infected with an SSPE strain of measles virus. Using immunoperoxidase labeling techniques, viral antigens were demonstrated on the luminal surface and in the cytoplasm of endothelial cells, irrespective of the presence or absence of inflammatory changes. The degree of inflammation corresponded well with antibody titer. These data suggest that the viral antigen in the endothelial cells is the site of interaction between these cells and sensitized lymphoid cells.