Epstein-Barr virus infection appears to be a necessary condition for developing multiple sclerosis, but the specific mechanisms that cause it in some people are not known. An international study of more than 1,300 people, including 650 patients, has found that elevated production of certain antibodies increases the risk of developing the disease. These antibodies target a specific protein in the virus, but can in turn act in a cross-species manner and damage other similar proteins in the nervous system. The results are published in the journal PNAS.
Pablo Villoslada - Epstein-Barr esclerosis EN
Pablo Villoslada
Head of the Neurology Service at the Hospital del Mar (Barcelona) and Director of the Neurosciences Programme
What do you think of the study as a whole, and is it of good quality?
‘Yes, it is from the group at Stanford University and the Karolinska Institute in Sweden, which is very prestigious and has experience in the subject.
How does it fit with the existing evidence and what is new about it?
‘It is a validation that the immune response against the Epstein-Barr virus, which is associated with multiple sclerosis, also produces antibodies against proteins specific to the nervous system. This supports that this virus may be the trigger for an autoimmune disease such as multiple sclerosis.
Are there any important limitations to consider?
‘These are indirect but robust evidences, but a definitive demonstration that Epstein-Barr virus causes multiple sclerosis is still lacking. This demonstration will come from a treatment that eliminates the virus and thus prevents the disease from occurring.
