Progressive Multifocal Leukoencephalopathy

PubMed, the Internet portal of biomedical and life sciences literature, indexed an interesting article, entitled Progressive Multifocal Leukoencephalopathy (Curr Neurol Neurosci Rep. 2007 Nov;7(6):461-469). Authors are Berger JR. from the Department of Neurology, University of Kentucky College of Medicine, USA. Progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML) was a rare disease until the advent of the HIV/AIDS pandemic. Recent interest in the disorder has been spurred by its appearance in patients treated with the monoclonal antibodies natalizumab and rituximab. Unless the accompanying underlying immune deficit can be reversed, PML typically progresses to death fairly rapidly. Treatment directed against the JC virus has been unhelpful, but an increased understanding of disease pathogenesis may result in effective therapeutic strategies. To access the full abstract of the article, click here.