Mechanism behind measles virus causing fatal encephalitis unfolded in Japanese study
Written By : Isra Zaman
Medically Reviewed By : Dr. Kamal Kant Kohli
Published On 2023-01-30 04:00 GMT | Update On 2023-01-30 11:50 GMT
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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 were reported in the journal Science Advances.
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