More evidence to suggest EBV is involved in MS

Italian researchers’ show People with MS tend to have higher anti-Epstein Barr virus (EBV – the virus that causes glandular fever) levels than patients with other neurological diseases.

Elevated anti-Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) antibody levels are present in serum of MS patients but literature lacks of studies comparing anti-EBV antibody levels between MS and other neurological diseases.

Results published in the Journal of Neuroimmunology measured specific antibody levels for EBV in serum and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of 267 MS, 50 Chronic Inflammatory Demyelinating Polyradiculoneuropathy (CIDP) and 88 Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) patients.

Researchers found increased titres of anti-EBV-IgG in serum and CSF of MS subjects as compared to CIDP and ALS patients thus providing additional evidence for a possible involvement of EBV in MS.

Read about Prof Pender’s work at the University of Queensland investigating EBV and MS here 

Source: PubMed