Report summarizes nervous system malformation immunology study findings from B. Niklasson and co-researchers
2009 JUN 30 - (NewsRx.com) -- New research, 'Zoonotic Ljungan virus associated with central nervous system malformations in terminated pregnancy,' is the subject of a report. According to recent research from Stockholm, Sweden, "The Ljungan virus (LV) has been shown to cause central nervous system malformations in laboratory mouse models. The LV has also been associated with intrauterine fetal death in humans." "We investigated the presence of LV in a series of human hydrocephaly and anencephaly cases from elective abortions. A series of elective abortions owing to hydrocephaly, anencephaly, and similarly aged trisomy 21 elective abortions as controls were examined for LV by immunohistochemistry and real time RT-PCR. A second experiment involved newborn mice exposed to LV. LV was diagnosed in 9 of 10 cases with hydrocephalus and in 1 of 18 trisomy 21 controls by immunohistochemistry. Five of nine cases with anencephaly had a positive PCR result, whereas none of the 12 trisomy 21 available for PCR testing had a positive result. The 47 newborn mice exposed to LV all developed encephalitis, with eight having hydrocephalus. None of the 52 control animals had encephalitis or hydrocephalus," wrote B. Niklasson and colleagues, . The researchers concluded: "The association between LV and both hydrocephaly and anencephaly suggests that LV may be playing an important role in central nervous system malformations in humans." Niklasson and colleagues published their study in Birth Defects Research Part A, Clinical and Molecular Teratology (Zoonotic Ljungan virus associated with central nervous system malformations in terminated pregnancy. Birth Defects Research Part A, Clinical and Molecular Teratology, 2009;85(6):542-5). For additional information, contact B. Niklasson, Apodemus AB, Grevgatan 38, Stockholm SE-114 53, Sweden. Publisher contact information for the journal Birth Defects Research Part A, Clinical and Molecular Teratology is: Blackwell Publishing Inc., 350 Main St., Malden, MA 02148, USA. Keywords: Sweden, Stockholm, Nervous System Malformation Immunology, Anencephaly, Immunology, Nervous System Malformation, Trisomy, Viral, Virus. This article was prepared by Life Science Weekly editors from staff and other reports. Copyright 2009, Life Science Weekly via NewsRx.com.
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