What Does EBV Tell Us About MS?

 Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an uncommon autoimmune disease in which the immune

system attacks the brain and the spinal cord. A new development in multiple sclerosis links the

disease with the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV). This discovery can lead to possible prevention of the

disease.

The Epstein-Barr virus is a common virus from the herpesvirus family (cold sores, genital

herpes, and chicken pox also belong to this family). It is estimated to infect around 90% of the

population, and it has links with other diseases such as mononucleosis (mono). EBV can inject

itself into epithelial cells in the throat and spread to others through saliva, which is a known

characteristic of mono.

Researchers believe that the viral protein EBNA1 and the central nervous protein GlialCAM are

both recognized by antibodies. The GlialCAM supports the nervous system and helps form the

myelin sheath. This is a possible theory of why these antibodies might attack myelin in the

nervous system, one of the primary factors of MS. EBV is also able to hide in B cells, which can

cause a lot of issues with the immune system. A major connection between EBV and MS was the

pattern that they occur in an infected person. For example, MS has a pattern of attacks that

similarly come in phases to a virus that would come out from hiding within the immune system.

The understanding is that if someone was not to be infected with EBV, then they would

not be at risk of developing MS; although, it is a small portion of the population. Researchers

found that those infected with EBV were almost 32 times more likely to develop MS than those

uninfected. This is a crucial understanding of the disease, as now there can be preventative

measures in place to fight against EBV to decrease the risk of MS. There are effects towards

developing a vaccination for EBV, especially with the increased understanding of mRNA this

could be a critical preventative measure. For those that are already affected, there is the

developmental process of targeting infected B cells. Due to this causing B cell depletion, it

would also be coupled with immunological therapies that would focus on improving T cell

accuracy towards only impacted B cells. Overall, this discovery is sure to improve both MS care

and research.


Posted by: Ritika Koirala (5)

Link: https://www.sciencenews.org/article/multiple-sclerosis-epstein-barr-virus-vaccines-

treatments

Comments

  1. AnonymousOctober 18, 2022 at 3:25 PM

    Hi Ritika,

    MS has always been interesting to me because scientists don't really know the exact cause for it. In the article that you found, how does EBNA1 affect GlialCAM to cause antibodies to attack the myelin sheath? And, could other viruses be potential causes for MS?
    - Tiffany Pham

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. AnonymousOctober 20, 2022 at 11:45 AM

      Hi Tiffany! The connection between EBNA1 and GlialCAM is interesting. GlialCAM is its molecular twin and is found in the central nervous system. Antibodies that recognize EBNA1 as a foreign body also sometimes recognize its twin GlialCAM (this is known as mimicry). GlialCAM is found in glial cells which form the myelin sheath around axons in the CNS. So, when antibodies recognize the GlialCAM for EBNA1, the body begins to attack the myelin. For your other question, since scientists are still conducting research on the topic, other possibilities could be the cause of MS.
      - Ritika Koirala

      Delete
  2. Chloe FriaryOctober 18, 2022 at 4:48 PM

    Hi Ritika, this was very insightful to learn about. I did not know contracting EBV was connected to increasing the chances of getting multiple sclerosis. Is the EPV just mono or does it include other diseases and infections? Also, is there any early screening to see if you are susceptible to getting multiple sclerosis?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. AnonymousOctober 20, 2022 at 11:45 AM

      Hi Chloe! Mono is a separate disease from EBV, but it can be caused if someone is infected with EBV. However, it is not the only cause of mono. In the case of other diseases, MS and mono seem to be the two most commonly associated with EBV. In terms of screening for MS, since there is not much known about the root cause, there is no definitive early screening method for MS. What I found online is that with blood testing or other types of tests, other known diseases have to be ruled out before MS is considered. In most cases, this would mean that symptoms would need to be present in patients. But, with this discovery, a possible early screening for MS susceptibility would be to test if someone has EBV.
      - Ritika Koirala

      Delete
  3. AnonymousOctober 19, 2022 at 10:39 AM

    Hi Ritika! I enjoyed reading your post and learning more about multiple sclerosis as I’m always interested in learning about autoimmune diseases. I found it really interesting that being infected with the Epstein-Barr virus makes someone 32 times more likely to develop MS than not being infected. Understanding more about MS and finding correlations with other known cellular processes is an important step in figuring out ways to make potential treatments. Is there anything people previously infected by EBV can do to reduce their chances of developing MS?

    - Sarah Belcher

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. AnonymousOctober 20, 2022 at 11:45 AM

      Hi Sarah! Unfortunately, there is currently no treatment for EBV. The hope of the discovery of this connection between EBV and MS is to further research into vaccinations for EBV. With this discovery and the development of an EBV vaccination, the hopes are that it will preemptively block the development of MS in individuals.
      - Ritika Koirala

      Delete
  4. Owen BradleyOctober 19, 2022 at 5:12 PM

    Hi Ritika, MS is an extremely debilitating disease. In the most severe cases it can result in death. Many people who have MS have to go on disability. The fact that EBV drastically increases the odds of developing MS is very scary. Are there other auto immune disorders that can develop after contracting another illness?

    ReplyDelete
  5. Adyelis M. Colon MartinezOctober 19, 2022 at 6:55 PM

    Hello Ritika!

    I had absolutely no idea what multiple sclerosis or MS was before reading this blog post. It was so very interesting to read and learn about such an interesting and uncommon autoimmune disease. It is so surprising how rehabilitating and severe such a disease can be. My question would be how would you know you have MS? Or how is it diagnosed?

    ReplyDelete

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