Increased focus has been put on the connection between Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) and MS in the past, and an interesting study has been published in January 2022 in the journal Science.
EBV is the primary cause of mononucleosis, and can be found in 95% of all adults, while approximately 99.5% of MS patients carry the virus.
Scientists at Harvard used blood samples that were collected over 2 decades from more than 10 million young adults working in the U.S. military.
In this monitored group, the risk of MS increased 32-fold after infection with EBV - found in the blood sample collected right before the MS diagnosis - but was unchanged after infection with other viruses. A biomarker of nerve damage (neuro-filament) increased only after EBV infection, and not after other virus infections.
More knowledge on the combination of genetic predisposition and environmental factors, such as EBV infection, are needed, yet, targeting EBV could help discovering new medication to attenuate or prevent MS.
Original publication -