Citing American research, the Multiple Sclerosis Trust noted: “Scientists in the US tracked people who gave repeated blood samples over several years, so they could see when they had been infected with EBV.
“They showed that the risk of developing MS was much higher after EBV infection had taken place.”
Building on this evidence, scientists at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden commented on the “incredibly complex disease”.
Dr Olivia Thomas said: “MS is an incredibly complex disease, but our study provides an important piece in the puzzle and could explain why some people develop the disease.
“We have discovered that antibodies against EBV, which normally fight the infection, can mistakenly target the brain and spinal cord and cause damage.”
The research team analysed blood samples from more than 700 patients with MS and 700 healthy people.
They found that antibodies that bind to an EBV protein, EBNA1, can also bind to a similar protein in the brain and spinal cord called CRYAB.
Consequently, the researchers believe that the misdirected antibodies may damage the nervous system causing severe symptoms in MS patients.
MS symptoms, according to the NHS, can include:
- Fatigue
- Vision problems
- Numbness and tingling
- Muscle spasms, stiffness and weakness
- Mobility problems
- Pain
- Problems with thinking, learning and planning
- Depression and anxiety
- Sexual problems
- Bladder problems
- Bowel problems
- Speech and swallowing difficulties.
Co-author Mattias Bronge, an affiliated researcher at the Department of Clinical Neuroscience, added: “We are now expanding our research to investigate how T-cells fight EBV infection.
“And how these immune cells may damage the nervous system in multiple sclerosis and contribute to disease progression.”
The research paper was published in the journal Science Advances.
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