[Immunohistochemical analysis of the distribution of measles related antigen in the intestinal mucosa in inflammatory bowel disease] 2000: 46;163-9]
Measles virus does not cause Crohn's disease, finds new research in Gut. Controversy has raged over whether there is a potential link between the disease and MMR (measles, mumps, and rubella) vaccine. MMR contains live, although weakened, measles virus, particles of which have been found in the intestines of Crohn's patients.
The research team isolated particles associated with measles virus from the gut tissue of a patient with Crohn's disease and using molecular cloning techniques, developed an antibody which would react with them. Tissue samples were then taken from the colons of 20 patients with Crohn's disease, 20 with ulcerative colitis, and 11 with non-inflammatory bowel disease, as well as nine people with no evidence of gastrointestinal disease. The tissue samples were then painted with the antibody, which acts as a kind of homing device for cells infected with the viral material.
Compared with the normal tissue, there were high numbers of cells positive for the virus related particles from all three different types of samples, not just those from the patients with Crohn's disease. The intensity of the result was also similar for all three types of disease. Small numbers of virally related cells were also seen in the gullet, stomach, the first part of the small intestine (duodenum) and the lungs. The authors also found that the measles virus related particles were actually derived from human protein. These results do not support the hypothesis that measles virus causes Crohn's disease, they conclude.
Contact: Dr Masahiro Iizuka, First Department of Internal Medicine, Akita University, Akita, Japan. iizuka@med.akita-u.ac.jp iizuka@med.akita-u.ac.jp
Journal
Gut