Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a progressive autoimmune disease that affects the brain and spinal cord, impacting 2.8 million people globally. It causes chronic inflammation that damages the myelin sheath, the protective layer around nerve cells, leading to disability and, in severe cases, death.
Despite extensive research, the exact cause of MS has remained elusive. However, a recent study from Harvard University has provided compelling evidence that infection with the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is a primary cause of the disease.
EBV, a herpes virus that infects approximately 95% of adults, is best known for causing infectious mononucleosis. It establishes a latent, lifelong infection in the body.
While scientists have long suspected a link between EBV and MS, proving causality has been challenging due to the high prevalence of EBV and the relative rarity of MS. Additionally, MS symptoms typically appear about a decade after EBV infection, making the connection harder to study.
In this groundbreaking research, scientists examined the health records of over 10 million young adults serving in the U.S. military. Among them, 955 were diagnosed with MS during their service. The researchers analyzed biennial blood samples collected from these individuals to track EBV infections and their relationship to MS onset.
The results were striking. They showed that the risk of developing MS increased 32 times after infection with EBV, while infection with other viruses had no significant impact.
Furthermore, blood samples revealed elevated levels of neurofilament light chain, a biomarker of nerve damage, only after EBV infection. These findings strongly suggest that EBV is the leading cause of MS.
The researchers propose that the delay between EBV infection and MS symptoms could be due to two factors: the disease’s subtle, undetectable early stages and the complex interaction between the virus and the immune system over time. The study’s authors emphasize that their findings cannot be explained by any other known MS risk factors.
This discovery opens new doors for preventing and treating MS. While no effective methods currently exist to prevent or treat EBV infections, developing an EBV vaccine or antiviral drugs targeting the virus could potentially prevent or even cure MS.
This research also highlights the importance of focusing on EBV in future studies to better understand its role in autoimmune diseases.
The implications of this study are profound, as it suggests that most MS cases could be prevented by stopping EBV infections. This finding marks a significant step toward developing targeted therapies that could change the lives of millions affected by MS.
The research was led by Alberto Ascherio and published in Science. It provides hope for new strategies to combat a disease that has long evaded a cure, offering a path toward better prevention and treatment options for MS.
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