Evidence of Epstein-Barr Virus in MS Brain Tissue

Investigators have reported finding traces of Epstein-Barr virus in postmortem brains examined from people with different forms of MS. They found the traces of EBV infection in immune cells (B cells and plasma cells) that had infiltrated the brain in 21 out of 22 brains from people with MS, but not in brains from people who had other neurological diseases that, like MS, involve inflammation. If these exciting findings are confirmed by other laboratories, they add to growing evidence of a link between EBV and MS. However, it is not possible through this study to determine whether EBV causes MS, or whether its presence is a consequence of MS.