Hepatitis B and herpes viral components in the cerebrospinal fluid of chronic schizophrenic and senile demented patients.

Cerebrospinal fluids (CSF) or sera or both from 57 chronic schizophrenics and 18 senile demented patients were examined by various tests for HBsAg. both CSF and serum were positive in 2 schizophrenics while in six HBsAg was detected in the CSF only. Elevated values of circulating immune complexes were found in positive patients. Most CSF positive for HBsAg also contained neutralizing antibodies to Herpesvirus hominis type 1. Ultramicroscopic structures similar to hepatitis B virus (HBV) components and herpesviral particles were visualized in the CSF of one patient on electron microscope (EM) grids coated with anti-human IgG serum. Most HBsAg positive patients appeared to be liver-symptoms-free carriers. In the CSF of a 79 years old senile demented man HBsAg was proved serologically. Several herpesviral particles complexed with globular material and spherical structures for 15 to 25 nm in diameter were visualized in the same CSF on EM grids coated with anti-human IgG serum. The findings support the importance of herpesviruses in mental illness. Penetration of HBsAg through the blood-brian barrier might be involved as an iatrogenic factor in the course of late psychoses.