Neutralizing antibodies to canine distemper and measles virus in multiple sclerosis

Serum neutralizing antibody to canine distemper virus (CDV) was measured in 142 patients with multiple sclerosis (MS), an equal number of age and sex-matched normal controls, and 75 patients with other neurological disorders. An elevated antibody titer was found in the MS population compared to controls. Measles-neutralizing antibody was also found to be elevated in 128 patients with MS. The mean ratio of measles to CDV antibody was similar in the control and MS groups, but a wide range of measles to CDV ratios was found in individual patients and controls. No significant correlation was found between IgG levels and neutralizing antibody titers in MS sera. While the increased titer of measles and CDV antibody may represent a non-specific immunological response, these findings are also consistent with the hypothesis that CDV or a closely related measles virus may stimulate the increased level of measles and CDV antibodies found in MS sera.