Measles giant cell pneumonia without rash in a case of lymphocytic lymphosarcoma

A case of measles pneumonia with no rash is reported in an adult woman with lymphocytic lymphosarcoma. It was characterized by the presence of inclusion-bearing giant cells lining the alveoli. Electron microscopic studies of the lung showed that the giant cells were formed by fusion of type II alveolar epithelial cells. Inclusion bodies were filled with tubular and rod-shaped filaments similar to those observed in cell cultures infected with measles virus. The progression of the giant cell pneumonia may have been facilitated by depressed cell-mediated immunity secondary to lymphocytic lymphosarcoma.