This Is MS Multiple Sclerosis Community: Knowledge & Support

Can we all now agree that it is 100% certain that viruses play a role in MS? Gets a bit murkier when you try to figure out how many viruses could be involved and exactly how they are involved...requires further study...check back in 15 years...




Increased prevalence of varicella zoster virus DNA in cerebrospinal fluid from patients with multiple sclerosis.

J Med Virol. 2007 Feb;79(2):192-9.
Mancuso R, Delbue S, Borghi E, Pagani E, Calvo MG, Caputo D, Granieri E, Ferrante P.
Laboratory of Molecular Medicine and Biotechnology, Don C. Gnocchi Foundation, IRCCS, Milan, Italy.

In order to investigate the possible involvement of viruses in Multiple Sclerosis (MS), the study evaluated the presence of viral genomic sequences in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), as markers of viral replication within the central nervous system (CNS).

A total of 85 CSF samples were collected from 38 MS patients, 28 patients with other neurological diseases and 19 subjects without neurological diseases. Using nested-PCR, the investigation focused on the presence of human herpes virus DNA, including herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1) and 2 (HSV-2), the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), varicella zoster virus (VZV), human cytomegalovirus (HCMV), human herpes virus 6 (HHV-6) and JC virus (JCV).

All the CSF samples from the individuals without neurological diseases were negative for viral DNA. Genomic sequences of HSV-1, HCMV, EBV, HHV6, and JCV were found in patients with MS and other neurological diseases without significant differences between the two groups. VZV DNA was detected more frequently (P < 0.05) in the MS group (31.6%), particularly among the relapsing-remitting MS patients (43.5%), compared with patients with other neurological diseases (10.7%). In addition, the results indicated that JCV and HHV-6 were replicating actively in the CNS of a small, but significant number of patients with MS and other neurological diseases.

Most importantly, the study revealed a high frequency of VZV DNA in the CSF of patients with MS, suggesting a possible role of this virus in the pathogenesis of MS.

Pubmed reference

Hi dignan, thanks for the info. 100% certain? I guess "play a role" is non specific enough but I'm still uncomfortable with anything regarding MS being considered 100% certain

I found a good article in CELL last night from April 2004 in which researchers seemed to think that....faulty? homeostatic expansion can bring rise to the autoimmune process. Just the kind of thing that a lot of people around here have envisioned. Depletion of T cells due to a battle with a virus (or other "germ"), homeostatic expansion kicks in and starts the autoimmune process.

Problem is I think I'm able to view CELL because I have access through my employer and cutting and pasting that much text would be rude and copying it to a webpage would probably be copyright infringement.

At any rate, here's the link in case someone can make some use of it http://tinyurl.com/sc4h7

Personally, I think there is something very important to be determined in this general field in regard to MS. With it in mind that the white blood cells which constitute the immune system are originally created in the bone marrow, go to the thymus where they "mature" to eventually be released into the system where they can divide around 52 times before the end of their predetermined life span, I think it's important that HDC and Campath 1H have shown such obvious results on the MS process despite the fact that they supposedly leave the bone marrow unscathed.

At face value that seems to narrow the MS process to the thymus and cell division. Kind of a quick and unprofessional way to put it but I'm tired of typing for now. Just as well. This isn't anything I'm promoting but have been wondering since Raven said the Campath 1H researchers noticed problems with homeostatic expansion among the people after treatment. I can't help but wonder if the researchers were certain that the subjects with MS treated with Campath 1H didn't have problems with homeostatic expansion before treatment?

My brain's too little for this stuff. I need some help.

Bob