Viruslike particles in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: Electron microscopical study of a case

Abstract

Autopsy of a 57‐year‐old woman dying from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) revealed the characteristic pathological changes of the disease. Ultrastructurally, the main finding was the presence of tubular viruslike particles within the cisterns of the rough endoplasmic reticulum in the neurons of the precentral gyrus and anterior horns of the spinal cord. These particles had a mean diameter of 80 to 85 nm and were composed of a central core and a multilayered wrapping; their morphology was consistent with a rhabdovirus. It is believed that the exclusive location of particles in neurons and the presence of fine structural alterations in these cells, consistent with a cytopathogenetic effect, may indicate a relation between the particle and ALS.