Measles giant cell pneumonia in childhood leukemia in remission.

A four-year old girl had acute lymphoblastic leukemia in remission with immunosupressive chemotherapy and complicated giant cell pneumonia. Investigations by light and electron microscopy and immunoperoxidase study of autopsy material disclosed measles virus nature of the penumonia, although there was no typical rash of the disease. Similar giant cells were seen in the gastric and colon mucosa, and the other of Warthin-Finkeldey type in the spleen, and lymph nodes of pulmonary hiluses. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first discription of gastric giant cells with inclusion of measles virus.