• Epstein-Barr virus may be leading cause

    From ScienceDaily@1:317/3 to All on Thu Jan 13 21:30:34 2022
    Epstein-Barr virus may be leading cause of multiple sclerosis

    Date:
    January 13, 2022
    Source:
    Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
    Summary:
    A new study provides compelling evidence of causality between
    Epstein- Barr virus and multiple sclerosis. It suggests that most
    MS cases could be prevented by stopping EBV infection, and that
    targeting EBV could lead to the discovery of a cure for MS.



    FULL STORY ========================================================================== 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.


    ========================================================================== Their findings will be published online in Science on January 13, 2022.

    "The hypothesis that EBV causes MS has been investigated by our group
    and others for several years, but this is the first study providing
    compelling evidence of causality," said Alberto Ascherio, professor of epidemiology and nutrition at Harvard Chan School and senior author of the study. "This is a big step because it suggests that most MS cases could
    be prevented by stopping EBV infection, and that targeting EBV could
    lead to the discovery of a cure for MS." MS is a chronic inflammatory
    disease of the central nervous system that attacks the myelin sheaths protecting neurons in the brain and spinal cord. Its cause is not known,
    yet one of the top suspects is EBV, a herpes virus that can cause
    infectious mononucleosis and establishes a latent, lifelong infection
    of the host. Establishing a causal relationship between the virus and
    the disease has been difficult because EBV infects approximately 95%
    of adults, MS is a relatively rare disease, and the onset of MS symptoms
    begins about ten years after EBV infection. To determine the connection
    between EBV and MS, the researchers conducted a study among more than 10 million young adults on active duty in the U.S. military and identified
    955 who were diagnosed with MS during their period of service.

    The team analyzed serum samples taken biennially by the military and
    determined the soldiers' EBV status at time of first sample and the relationship between EBV infection and MS onset during the period
    of active duty. In this cohort, the risk of MS increased 32-fold
    after infection with EBV but was unchanged after infection with other
    viruses. Serum levels of neurofilament light chain, a biomarker of the
    nerve degeneration typical in MS, increased only after EBV infection. The findings cannot be explained by any known risk factor for MS and suggest
    EBV as the leading cause of MS.

    Ascherio says that the delay between EBV infection and the onset of MS
    may be partially due the disease's symptoms being undetected during the earliest stages and partially due to the evolving relationship between
    EBV and the host's immune system, which is repeatedly stimulated whenever latent virus reactivates.

    "Currently there is no way to effectively prevent or treat EBV infection,
    but an EBV vaccine or targeting the virus with EBV-specific antiviral
    drugs could ultimately prevent or cure MS," said Ascherio.

    Other Harvard Chan School researchers who contributed to this study
    include Kjetil Bjornevik, Marianna Cortese, Michael Mina, and Kassandra
    Munger.

    Funding for this study came the National Institute of Neurological
    Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health (NS046635, NS042194,
    and NS103891), the National Multiple Sclerosis Society (PP-1912-35234),
    the German Research Foundation (CO 2129/ 1-1), the National Institutes
    of Health (DP5- OD028145), and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute.

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    for style and length.


    ========================================================================== Journal Reference:
    1. Kjetil Bjornevik, Marianna Cortese, Brian C. Healy, Jens Kuhle,
    Michael
    J. Mina, Yumei Leng, Stephen J. Elledge, David W. Niebuhr, Ann
    I. Scher, Kassandra L. Munger, Alberto Ascherio. Longitudinal
    analysis reveals high prevalence of Epstein-Barr virus associated
    with multiple sclerosis.

    Science, 2022 DOI: 10.1126/science.abj8222 ==========================================================================

    Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/01/220113151342.htm
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