More evidence links Epstein-Barr virus with MS

Finding negative EBV serology in a patient with MS should lead clinicians to question the original diagnosis, researchers say
Clare Pain
young woman in a wheelchair

Among a large cohort of patients with early multiple sclerosis (MS), all tested positive for Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), suggesting the infection might be ‘necessary but not sufficient’ for development of the condition, researchers say.

The investigators tested serum from 901 people enrolled in the German National MS cohort, which has strict inclusion criteria to ensure the patient has either clinically isolated syndrome or early relapsing-remitting MS.