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My recent blood test shows that I have CMV and EBV but I assume they are not recent infections (IgG detected and IgM not detected). There was no indication of Chlamydia or other bacteria and no test of HHV6 or 7. I haven't yet had the chance to review the tests with the doctor but have been looking into these two viruses. There has been a lot written about the association between EBV and MS but not much I can find about a connection between CMV and MS.

I did see that congenital CMV is extremely problematic. It gives rise to hearing loss for babies and various other disabilities and can be latent and then activated in later life as a result of a compromised immune system. Apparently, if pregnant mothers contract the virus it can infect the foetus when the immunity of the baby has not developed leading to problems at birth. If the mother has CMV prior to pregnancy or the baby contracts after birth then it is unlikely to be a problem. Between 50 and 70% of the population has CMV but the big problem is if a pregnant mother contracts the virus. In fact it is shown that CMV accounts for more deformities in babies in the developed world than down syndrome and other conditions.

My mother who has passed away, did tell me that I had convulsions and fits as a baby which didn't mean much to me until now, because I note that this can be a sign of congenital CMV which seems might have been the case with me. Assuming my immunity was compromised at birth, it may not have been a sufficient problem to create any disability then but may have remained dormant until I was 31 when I was diagnosed with MS. It seems that disability can occur with CMV as a result of a compromised immune system, ageing and stress. At 31 I just got married, we were expecting a child, buying a house and starting a business. With stress on the immune system, this could have given rise to my PPMS which has continued on a steady decline for 30 years.

Has anyone else, especially those with PPMS experienced anything similar? What about those tested for CMV or any other thoughts. I have a friend with RRMS and EBV, but no CMV. Maybe the double whammy of CMV and EBV differentiates RRMS and PPMS.

This narrative might also tie in with CCSVI. I had the CCSVI treatment in 2010 with one week of miraculous improvement and then regression. This also improved my legs lymphedema which has since returned and got much worse. None of the IRs seemed to have any thoughts on the lymphedema problem but maybe it could be looked in the context of viruses. I note that Thibault and others see a connection between CCSVI and Chlamydia with thoughts about bacteria lodging in the endothelium of veins. I'm wondering whether these viruses, especially CMV do something similar, after all, apparently CMV is very good at hiding from lymphocytes through the lymph system and presumably other vessels. The CMV cells are apparently quite large, involving an enlargement of the cytoplasm of cells.

Anyway I have only had these blood tests a few days. I'll continue investigating this situation further and I might be way off the mark, but it is for the first time, maybe starting to connect the dots.

Hi,
I think you have raised an interesting topic. There is no doubt that EBV is often implicated in MS although the proof of cause and effect is tenuous. It is a Gammaherpesvirinae that reproduces at a variable rate and uses a glycoprotein to bind to a B Cell and transform it so it becomes a source of excessive superoxide production.
CMV is a Betaherpesvirinae which infects and lies latent in white blood cells. It’s often found in neuroinflammatory diseases but its role is unclear. What has been noted is in a cohort of patients with transplant arteriosclerosis there is a clear incidence of elevated levels of ADMA which is brought on by CMV. ( see - http://circ.ahajournals.org/content/109/4/500.full ) If we are bold and draw a line through that data it would suggest that CMV causes ADMA to be elevated. That becomes a problem because ADMA is an inhibitor or all forms of Nitric Oxide Synthase and that will lead to a preponderance of iNOS (inducible nitric oxide synthase) as the predominant form. This is not good news as eNOS is the vasodilator rather than iNOS. It also means the form of Nitric Oxide that forms will be more stable than the preferred form.
If the superoxide from an EBV infected B cell meets the stable form of Nitric Oxide you have a higher probability that you will make peroxynitrite.
So CMV itself, in a healthy body, probably is not the problem it would be if you are immunocompromised. This is what tends to show up.
To overcome ADMA (assymetric dimethyl arginine) load your diet with watermelon and beets and supplement with l-arginine. ADMA levels can be elevated for many reasons. It’s never good.
EBV is a different story and covered in many places.
If we could all interview our mothers I think you would find many of us were problem babies.
Regards,