Frontiers in Immunology (Oct 2021)

Myelin Oligodendrocyte Glycoprotein Antibody-Associated Disease and Varicella Zoster Virus Infection - Frequency of an Association

  • Franziska Di Pauli,
  • Paul Morschewsky,
  • Klaus Berek,
  • Michael Auer,
  • Angelika Bauer,
  • Thomas Berger,
  • Gabriel Bsteh,
  • Paul Rhomberg,
  • Kathrin Schanda,
  • Anne Zinganell,
  • Florian Deisenhammer,
  • Markus Reindl,
  • Harald Hegen

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3389/fimmu.2021.769653
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 12

Abstract

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To determine whether there is a correlation between myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein (MOG) antibody-associated diseases and varicella zoster virus (VZV) infection. We provide a case report and performed a study to determine the frequency of MOG antibodies (MOG-IgG) in neurological VZV infections. Patients admitted to the Medical University of Innsbruck from 2008–2020 with a diagnosis of a neurological manifestation of VZV infection (n=59) were included in this study; patients with neuroborreliosis (n=34) served as control group. MOG-IgG was detected using live cell-based assays. In addition, we performed a literature review focusing on MOG and aquaporin-4 (AQP4) antibodies and their association with VZV infection. Our case presented with VZV-associated longitudinally extensive transverse myelitis and had MOG-IgG at a titer of 1:1280. In the study, we did not detect MOG-IgG in any other patient neither in the VZV group (including 15 with VZV encephalitis/myelitis) nor in the neuroborreliosis group. In the review of the literature, 3 cases with MOG-IgG and additional 9 cases with AQP4 IgG associated disorders in association with a VZV infection were identified. MOG-IgG are rarely detected in patients with VZV infections associated with neurological diseases.

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