In contrast with abruptly dwindled Polio with the use of vaccines, Japanese encephalitis still remains a disease of considerably high incidence and high mortality. It is especially worth attention that those who had received the vaccines occupy 10% proportion to the total number of the victims each year.
Recently, it was made clear that immuno-globulin, built in the early stage of infection, . initiates in. 19S fraction and is sensitive to 2ME. This property has been utilized in the diagnosis of Japanese .encephalitis infection, especially in its early stage diagnosis.
In this report, immuno-chemical studies were made on the sera of 290 Japanese encephalitis patients: administrated to Osaka Municipal Momoyama Hospital during 1964-1968. The number of the sera. samples studied at the time of hospitalization totalled to 1, 200 and those studied after the hospitalization counted 90.
Long run fluctuations of immuno-globulin titers were pursued separately in vaccinated patients, in non-vaccinated patients, and in those who had high antibody titers. IgG, IgM, electrophoresis, immuno-electrophoresis, and long run fluctuations of antibody were also investigated. In some cases, the possibility of re-infection was discussed.
The results were summed-up. as follows:
1) Generally speaking, in non-vaccinated cases the antibody had remained sensitive to 2ME for a considerably long period from soon after the onset of illness and in vaccinized cases or aged persons, it had become resistant to 2ME in the early stage of illness.
2) Long term observations revealed that most HI antibody titers settled down to 1: 80-1: 20 one year after the onset of illness. Downward trend was slowest in Neutralization antibody titers.
3) Those were mostly aged persons whose antibody levels reached high at the very early stage. of illness.
4) There were a few patients in whom we found the antibody titers re-increased after passing over the summer without any vaccinations given after leaving hospital.
5). In patients who had received vaccines after leaving hospital, antibody titers against JaGAr# 01 strains were found higher than those against Nakayama strains, and HI and CF titers were higher than Neutralizing antibody titers.
6) A little active antibody was still recognized in 19S fraction in a patient's serum two years after leaving hospital.
7) Agar-electrophoresis analysis revealed that the increase of Alpha-2 and Gumma globulin fraction was prominent. Immuno-electrophoresis with agar was normal.
8) In both vaccinated and non-vaccinated patients, IgG was increased in the early stage of illness. IgM was found increased in non-vaccinated patients only in the early stage of illness, but not increased at all in vaccinated patients. Antibody titers were not related with IgG and IgM levels.
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