[Cuban epidemic neuropathy. III. Neutralizing antibodies to the strains isolated and to other enteroviruses in patients and healthy subjects].

Determinations of neutralizing antibodies to the strain 47/93 IPK (CA9) and to the strain 590 were performed in serum samples from patients presenting with epidemic neuropathy and from a group of seemingly healthy subjects. Determinations were also done in the reference strains CA9 and CB1-6 by the microneutralization technique. Patients and their contacts showed significantly higher percentages of neutralizing antibodies to the strain 47/93 than the control group and residents of municipalities with a low rate of the disease. This difference was also confirmed regarding the geometric mean titres with the use of the reference strains CA9 and CB2-4. An increased circulation of the strain 47/93 within the infantile population from 1981 to 1993 was evidenced. Patients exhibited significantly lower percentages and geometric mean titres of neutralizing antibodies to the strain 590 than the control group, despite the fact that in 25/28 certain agents having a mild cytopathogenic effect had been isolated. The possibility of two mechanism of neutralization is stated and an hypothesis on the mechanism by which these viruses may be involved in the pathophysiology of the disease is formulated.