Despite the extensive media exposure that viruses such as West Nile, Norwalk, and Ebola have received lately, and the emerging threat that old pathogens may reappear as new agents of terrorism, measles virus (MV) persists as one of the leading causes of death by infectious agents worldwide, approaching the annual mortality rate of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-1. For most MV victims, fatality is indirect: Virus-induced transient immunosuppression predisposes the individual to opportunistic infections that, left untreated, can result in mortality. In rare cases, MV may also cause progressive neurodegenerative disease. During the past five years (1998-2002), development of animal models and the application of reverse genetics and immunological assays have collectively contributed to major progress in our understanding of MV biology and pathogenesis. Nevertheless, questions and controversies remain that are the basis for future research. In this review, major advances and current debates are discussed, including MV receptor usage, the cellular basis of immunosuppression, the suspected role of MV in "nonviral" diseases such as multiple sclerosis and Paget's disease, and the controversy surrounding MV vaccine safety.

中文翻译：

---

麻疹病毒1998-2002：进展和争议。

尽管最近媒体广泛报道了诸如西尼罗河，诺沃克和埃博拉病毒等病毒，而且新的威胁是旧病原体可能会作为新的恐怖主义媒介再次出现，但麻疹病毒（MV）仍然是导致人类死亡的主要原因之一。世界各地的传染病原体，已接近人类免疫缺陷病毒（HIV）-1的年死亡率。对于大多数MV受害者而言，死亡是间接的：病毒引起的短暂免疫抑制使个体易患机会性感染，如果不及时治疗，可能导致死亡。在极少数情况下，MV还可引起进行性神经退行性疾病。在过去的五年（1998-2002年）中，动物模型的发展以及反向遗传学和免疫学测定法的应用共同为我们对MV生物学和发病机理的理解取得了重大进展。然而，仍然存在的问题和争议是未来研究的基础。在这篇综述中，讨论了主要的进展和当前的辩论，包括MV受体的使用，免疫抑制的细胞基础，MV在“非病毒”疾病（如多发性硬化症和Paget病）中的怀疑作用以及围绕MV疫苗安全性的争议。