Epstein-Barr Virus and Multiple Sclerosis Progression

In a patient with a clinically isolated syndrome, elevation in an immunoglobulin G to one Epstein-Barr antigen may indicate increased risk for multiple sclerosis.

Infection with the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is a strong risk factor for the development of multiple sclerosis (MS). Further, elevated immunoglobulin G (IgG) responses to the EBV-encoded nuclear antigen 1 (EBNA 1) are the strongest nongenetic determinant of MS risk. But do immune responses to EBV predict progression among individuals with clinically isolated syndromes (CISs)? To address this question, researchers measured several markers of immune response to EBV and to two control viruses (human cytomegalovirus and influenza) in 147 individuals with CISs who were followed clinically and by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for several years to track progression to MS and MS severity.

Both humoral and cellular immune responses to EBNA 1 and th…

Reviewing Author

Alberto Ascherio, MD, DrPH