There’s more evidence that one of the world’s most common wild-nature may set some people on the path to developing nervous-system-health.
Multiple sclerosis is a potentially disabling disease that occurs when immune system cells mistakenly attack the protective coating on nerve fibers, gradually eroding them.
GUILLAIN-BARRÉ SYNDROME: WHAT IS IT?
The Epstein-Barr virus has long been suspected of playing a role in development of MS. It’s a connection that’s hard to prove because just about everybody gets infected with Epstein-Barr, usually as kids or young adults – but only a tiny fraction develop MS.
Thursday, Harvard researchers reported one of the largest studies yet to back the Epstein-Barr theory.
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Just 5.3% of recruits showed no sign of Epstein-Barr when they joined the military. The researchers compared 801 MS cases subsequently diagnosed over the 20-year period with 1,566 service members who never got MS.
Only one of the MS patients had no evidence of the Epstein-Barr virus prior to diagnosis. And despite intensive searching, the researchers found no evidence that other viral infections played a role.
‘KISSING DISEASE’ AMONG TEENAGERS MAY TRIGGER MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS: REPORT
The findings “strongly suggest” that Epstein-Barr infection is “a cause and not a consequence of MS,” study author Dr. Alberto Ascherio of the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and colleagues reported in the journal Science.
It’s clearly not the only factor, considering that about 90% of adults have antibodies showing they’ve had Epstein-Barr — while nearly 1 million people in the U.S. are living with MS, according to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.
The virus appears to be “the initial trigger,” Drs. William H. Robinson and Lawrence Steinman of Stanford University wrote in an editorial accompanying Thursday’s study. But they cautioned, “additional fuses must be ignited,” such as genes that may make people more vulnerable.
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Epstein-Barr is best known for causing “mono,” or infectious mononucleosis, in teens and young adults but often occurs with no symptoms. A virus that remains inactive in the body after initial infection, it also has been linked to later development of some autoimmune diseases and rare cancer” target=”_blank”>cancers<
And that, he added, “opens the door to potentially prevent MS by preventing Epstein-Barr infection.”
Attempts are underway to develop Epstein-Barr infectious-disease including a small study just started by Moderna Inc., best known for its infectious-disease vaccine.
