Emerging Infectious Diseases (Mar 2003)

Persistence of Virus-Reactive Serum Immunoglobulin M Antibody in Confirmed West Nile Virus Encephalitis Cases

  • John T. Roehrig,
  • Denis Nash,
  • Beth Maldin,
  • Anne Labowitz,
  • Denise A. Martin,
  • Robert S. Lanciotti,
  • Grant L. Campbell

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3201/eid0903.020531
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 9, no. 3
pp. 376 – 379

Abstract

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Twenty-nine laboratory-confirmed West Nile virus (WNV) encephalitis patients were bled serially so that WNV-reactive immunoglobulin (Ig) M activity could be determined. Of those patients bled, 7 (60%) of 12 had anti-WNV IgM at approximately 500 days after onset. Clinicians should be cautious when interpreting serologic results from early season WNV IgM-positive patients.

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