Elevated antimeasles antibody titre: An association in autoimmune encephalitis

Autoimmune encephalitis is a group of treatable noninfective encephalitic disorders with great clinical implications. They have a close resemblance to prion disease and some slow virus infections. We report the presence of significant titers of antimeasles antibody in some of our patients with autoimmune encephalitis resulting in diagnostic and therapeutic problems.

Patients seen by us in the last 4 years with high titers (1:625 dilution) cerebrospinal fiuid (CSF) antimeasles antibody positivity were reviewed retrospectively. The data collected were assessed using SPSS- Statistical Package for Social Sciences Version 15.0 (IBM corporation) software. The groups which showed elevated antimeasles antibody titers but did not have other parameters suggestive of subacute sclerosing panencephalitis (Group 2) were segregated and compared with those who had the typical features (Group 1) using Fisher's Exact Test.

There were 33 patients with antimeasles antibody in CSF. Group 1 had 27 and Group 2 had 6 patients. Group 1 had lower age, cognitive dysfunction, slow myoclonus, less generalized tonic-clonic seizures, and focal seizures. Group 2 patients belonged to the higher age, had significant psychosis (P = 0.02), incontinence of bowel and bladder (P = 0.0001). Slow myoclonus was significant in the first group (P = 0.028), and weakness was significant in the second group (P = 0.028) and double incontinence in the second group (P = 0.0001). Magnetic resonance imaging showed significant gray matter and cerebellar involvement in Group 2 P = 0.005 and P = 0.028, respectively.

Patients who show significant titers of antimeasles antibodies in the CSF but belonging to older age group with psychosis, generalized tonic-clonic seizures, double incontinence, focal myoclonus, and electroencephalographic and imaging noncorroborative need to be investigated for autoimmune encephalitis in view of the great prognostic and therapeutic relevance.