Luxton, Richard William; (1993) A study of the relative-affinity of CSF antigen-specific IgG in patients with multiple sclerosis and patients with encephalitis. Doctoral thesis (Ph.D), UCL (University College London).

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Abstract

Patients with multiple sclerosis and patients with a viral encephalitis are known to synthesise antigen-specific immunoglobulins within the central nervous system. This antibody can be shown to be of limited heterogeneity, which manifests itself as oligoclonal bands on an antigen immunoblot. To test the hypothesis that in multiple sclerosis the antibody production is a secondary, anamnestic response, a method was developed to study the relative affinity of antigen-specific IgG in cerebrospinal fluid. This was then used to compare the relative affinities of antigen-specific IgG in patients with multiple sclerosis and patients with a viral encephalitis. No statistical difference between the two groups was found when studying intrathecal synthesis of antigen-specific IgG oligoclonal bands. In contrast to this, there was a highly significant difference between the two groups when the relative affinity of antigen-specific IgG was measured. Patients with multiple sclerosis had an absence, or reduced level of high affinity antigen-specific IgG compared with patients with encephalitis. These results supported the hypothesis that the antigen-specific antibody from patients with multiple sclerosis is indeed produced as a result of a secondary activation of the B-cells. In comparison antigen-specific IgG in patients with encephalitis was of higher affinity, indicating that it is the product of a primary stimulation of the immune system.

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