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Measles Virus “Cooperates” With Itself To Cause Fatal Encephalitis Scientists discover a new mechanism for how the measles virus can cause a rare but fatal neurological disorder, subacute sclerosing panencephalitis. Researchers in Japan have uncovered the mechanism for how the measles virus can cause subacute sclerosing panencephalitis, or SSPE, a rare but fatal neurological disorder that can occur several years after a measles infection. Although the normal form of the measles virus cannot infect the nervous system, the team found that viruses that persist in the body can develop mutations in a key protein that controls how they infect cells. The mutated proteins can interact with its normal form, making it capable of infecting the brain. Their findings will be reported today (January 27) in the journal Science Advances. If you are of a certain age, you may have had measles as a child. Many born after the 1970s have never gotten it thanks to vaccines. The condition is caused by the virus of the same name, which is one of the most contagious pathogens to this day. The World Health Organization estimates that nearly nine million people worldwide were infected with measles in 2021, with the number of deaths reaching 128,000....
Research cited published in Science Advances (Jan. 27, 2023):
