Abstract
We investigated the hypothesis that a persistent viral infection of the thymus gland might trigger the autoimmune disease myasthenia gravis (MG). Thymus glands of nine patients with recent onset of MG were studied by a variety of techniques to detect the presence of occult viruses. No evidence of viral infection was found.
MeSH terms
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Adolescent
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Adult
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Animals
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Autoimmune Diseases / microbiology
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Child
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DNA Viruses
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Female
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Fluorescent Antibody Technique
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Humans
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Male
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Microbiological Techniques
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Middle Aged
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Muridae
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Myasthenia Gravis / microbiology*
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Newcastle disease virus
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Organ Culture Techniques
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Poliovirus
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RNA Viruses
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Thymus Gland / microbiology*
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Virus Diseases / microbiology