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HHV6A, along with EBV is a strong condender for the role of viral villain in MS.



Apoptotic effects of Human Herpesvirus-6A on glia and neurons as potential triggers for central nervous system autoimmunity.

J Clin Virol. 2006 Dec;37 Suppl 1:S11-6.
Gardell JL, Dazin P, Islar J, Menge T, Genain CP, Lalive PH.
Department of Neurology, University of California, San Francisco

BACKGROUND: Human Herpesvirus type 6 (HHV-6A and/or HHV-6B) has been tentatively associated with multiple sclerosis (MS). However, there is currently no direct proof of pathogenicity.

OBJECTIVES: To determine whether exposure to HHV-6 variants is capable of inducing programmed cell death (apoptosis) in representative cell types of the central nervous system (CNS).

STUDY DESIGN: HHV-6A and HHV-6B variants were grown on human T cell lines HSB2 and MOLT-3, respectively. Human neuronal (SK-N-SH), astrocytes (CRT), and oligodendrocytes (TC620) cell lines were exposed in vitro to infected T cells in a trans-well system for up to 4 days (5x10(4) cells target cells and 2x10(6) T cells). Apoptosis was measured by a FACS-based method.

RESULTS: Exposure to HHV-6A induced apoptosis in a time-dependent manner, while exposure to HHV-6B did not. Three days after exposure, apoptosis was increased compared to normalized controls, by 239% in neurons, 321% in astrocytes, and 326% in oligodendrocytes, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS: This study provides the demonstration that exposure to immune cells carrying replicating HHV-6A may injure glial cells and neurons by inducing apoptosis, and direct evidence for a causal association between HHV-6A with MS and related disorders.

Pubmed URL

This was studied for at least 5-6 years already, just consider this herpesvirus being neurotoxic, that's all. One more nail to the coffin, nothing more, not the cause of the end.
Real CNS autoimmunity exist in very rare conditions, in typical MS we deal with enhanced immunological response to relatively large size lesion of white matter (min. 10 times more than size of physiological demyelinisation), which breaks down all barriers around and reqiures additional help from the body. Otherwise, our brain is immunologically silent, hidden from our immune system.
Kind regards,
Tony