ICYMI: Researchers Find Key Link Between Epstein-Barr Virus and Multiple Sclerosis

Three colorized Epstein-Barr virus particles are pictured using an electron micrograph.

NIAID via Wikimedia Commons

More than 90% of people worldwide have been infected with Epstein-Barr virus at some point in their lives. Primarily spread through saliva, EBV is part of the herpes family of viruses. It can cause mononucleosis and other illnesses, but in most cases, people never develop any notable symptoms. Although most have no lingering complications, EBV is a known trigger for multiple sclerosis (MS) among less than 1% of those who have had an infection. A new study published July 15 in Science Translational Medicine sheds crucial light on the cellular mechanism behind this connection.

An international team of researchers examined blood samples from people with untreated MS, people with an MS diagnosis who are receiving treatment, and people who don’t have the condition. They then exposed blood cells derived from the participants’ samples to parts of the Epstein-Barr virus. The team determined immune cells responsible for fueling inflammation — called CD4+ T cells — among people who had untreated MS were twice as reactive when exposed to active viral particles compared to those without the condition.

Big Picture: MS is an autoimmune disease in which the immune system attacks myelin, the fatty sheaths surrounding nerves. People with the condition typically develop muscle weakness as a result and can eventually encounter difficulty walking or speaking, although there are treatments available to considerably slow symptom progression. Experts say understanding the physiology underpinning the connection between EBV and MS could inform novel treatments or vaccines against the virus.

Read More: Biologists pinpoint how common virus triggers multiple sclerosis. Nature

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About the Author

Bella Isaacs-Thomas

Bella is the Staff Writer and Editor for BrainFacts. She previously worked as a digital science reporter at PBS NewsHour, where she was named a fellow in the 2022-2023 class of the National Science-Health-Environment Reporting Fellowships (SHERF) and earned a 2021 D.C. Science Writers Association Newsbrief Award for writing. She graduated from the University of Michigan with a bachelor's degree in 2018.