Which viral infection is associated with the development of MS?
Boston, MA – Multiple sclerosis (MS), a progressive disease that affects 2.8 million people worldwide and for which there is no definitive cure, is likely caused by infection with the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), according to a study led by Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health researchers.
Can an infection trigger multiple sclerosis?
Data from epidemiological studies (studies that analyze the geographical, socioeconomic, genetic and other factors that may contribute to who gets MS) suggest that exposure to an infectious agent may be involved in triggering the disease.
Can MS be caused by bacteria?
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is caused by a complex interaction of genetic and environmental factors. Numerous causative factors have been identified that play a role in MS, including exposure to bacteria.
What bacteria is associated with MS?
Pathogens associated with development or exacerbation of MS include bacteria, such as Chlamydia pneumoniae, Staphylococcus aureus-produced enterotoxins that function as superantigens, and viruses of the Herpesviridae (Epstein-Barr virus and human herpes virus 6) and human endogenous retrovirus families.
What is the connection between Epstein-Barr and MS?
Infection with Epstein-Barr virus dramatically increased the odds of developing multiple sclerosis. The finding suggests that vaccines against the virus could help prevent multiple sclerosis.
Why does Epstein-Barr virus cause MS?
Now, a study led by Stanford Medicine researchers has proved that the Epstein-Barr virus, a common type of herpes virus, triggers multiple sclerosis by priming the immune system to attack the body’s own nervous system.
Can an infection trigger a MS relapse?
However, infections are also associated with relapses. Some research suggests that relapse occurs in an estimated 30 percent of people with MS after an upper-respiratory infection, according to a review published in Frontiers in Immunology.
Can Covid cause multiple sclerosis?
Indeed, some studies show that viral respiratory tract infections may be linked to most of the exacerbations of MS (Marrodan et al., 2019). If we focus on the coronavirus (CoV) family, there is clear evidence of its neurotropic character.
Can a bacterial infection cause MS relapse?
Bacterial Infection Exacerbates EAE As in viral models of inflammatory demyelination, peripheral LPS injection at 1, 3, and 6 weeks post EAE onset has been shown to cause relapse (96).
Does Akkermansia cause multiple sclerosis?
They found that two bacterial groups, Acinetobacter and Akkermansia, were four times more abundant in MS patients than in individuals with no disease. Another group, Parabacteroides, was four times as abundant in healthy people.
Can you have MS without EBV?
Although 97% of those who developed MS had seroconverted from EBV negative to EBV-positive status before the MS diagnosis, 57% of the controls who did not develop MS also seroconverted. “We have long suspected that EBV is an important trigger for MS, but it is a highly nonspecific trigger,” says Dr.
Does everyone with MS have EBV?
While epidemiological studies suggest that some 95 percent of people in the general population have evidence of exposure to EBV in their blood, that percentage is closer to 100 percent among those who have MS.