Question:

Warthin-Finkeldey cells are seen in which infection?

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Multinucleated grape-cluster giant cells in lymph nodes point to one exanthem.
Updated On: Jun 23, 2026
  • Measles
  • Rubella
  • Rabies
  • Typhoid
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The Correct Option is A

Solution and Explanation

Step 1: Warthin-Finkeldey cells are multinucleated giant cells of the reticuloendothelial system, formed by fusion of infected cells.
Step 2: They are the classic histological hallmark of measles, appearing in hyperplastic lymph nodes early in the course of the disease. Under the microscope they look like a large grape-like cluster of nuclei.
Step 3: Measles virus invades the respiratory epithelium, replicates, causes viraemia, and spreads to the reticuloendothelial system, producing both Warthin-Finkeldey giant cells and epithelial giant cells. Hence the answer is Measles.
Step 4: The distractors are wrong: rabies is identified by Negri bodies, typhoid shows aggregates of macrophages (typhoid cells) in Peyer patches, and rubella has no Warthin-Finkeldey cells.
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