RT Journal Article SR Electronic T1 Potential viral pathogenic mechanism for new variant inflammatory bowel disease JF Molecular Pathology JO Mol Pathol FD BMJ Publishing Group Ltd and Association of Clinical Pathologists SP 84 OP 90 DO 10.1136/mp.55.2.84 VO 55 IS 2 A1 V Uhlmann A1 C M Martin A1 O Sheils A1 L Pilkington A1 I Silva A1 A Killalea A1 S B Murch A1 J Walker-Smith A1 M Thomson A1 A J Wakefield A1 J J O'Leary YR 2002 UL http://mp.bmj.com/content/55/2/84.abstract AB Aims: A new form of inflammatory bowel disease (ileocolonic lymphonodular hyperplasia) has been described in a cohort of children with developmental disorder. This study investigates the presence of persistent measles virus in the intestinal tissue of these patients (new variant inflammatory bowel disease) and a series of controls by molecular analysis. Methods: Formalin fixed, paraffin wax embedded and fresh frozen biopsies from the terminal ileum were examined from affected children and histological normal controls. The measles virus Fusion (F) and Haemagglutinin (H) genes were detected by TaqMan reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and the Nucleocapsid (N) gene by RT in situ PCR. Localisation of the mRNA signal was performed using a specific follicular dendritic cell antibody. Results: Seventy five of 91 patients with a histologically confirmed diagnosis of ileal lymphonodular hyperplasia and enterocolitis were positive for measles virus in their intestinal tissue compared with five of 70 control patients. Measles virus was identified within the follicular dendritic cells and some lymphocytes in foci of reactive follicular hyperplasia. The copy number of measles virus ranged from one to 300 000 copies/ng total RNA. Conclusions: The data confirm an association between the presence of measles virus and gut pathology in children with developmental disorder.