New evidence suggests Epstein-Barr virus triggers Multiple Sclerosis | TheHill - The Hill

 A team of researchers have found evidence that what causes the unnatural immune response is an infection with the Epstein-Barr virus, according to a study published in Science.  

“The hypothesis that EBV causes MS has been investigated by our group and others for several years, but this is the first study providing compelling evidence of causality,” said lead author of the study Alberto Ascherio, professor of epidemiology and nutrition at Harvard Chan School, in a statement.  “This is a big step because it suggests that most MS cases could be prevented by stopping EBV infection, and that targeting EBV could lead to the discovery of a cure for MS.” 

The team analyzed serum samples by the military to determine whether each solider had been infected with the Epstein-Barr virus, which is present in about 95 percent of all adults, and then compared those findings to the whether they had been diagnosed with MS during their time of active duty.  

Researchers found that the risk of MS increased 32-fold if a soldier had been infected with the Epstein-Barr virus and remained unchanged if they had been infected with another virus.  

In addition, biomarkers of the nerve degeneration that occurs in MS increased in soldiers who had been infected with the Epstein-Barr virus helping lead researchers to believe the virus as the leading cause of MS.