For decades, scientists suspected they were infected a very widespread virus, the Epstein-Barr virusthe reason for the call mononucleosis or “kissing disease”, they could be much more likely to develop multiple sclerosis. Last year, a team of researchers from Harvard University obtained the most convincing evidence yet of a close relationship between the two diseases, a hypothesis that could provide a change in the way we fight this neurodegenerative disease, for which there is still no cure.
Research published in journal Sciencebased on extensive study of clinical data from more than 10 million members of the US military over the past 20 years. The researchers accessed the medical history and took advantage of the continuous checks that are carried out during the years of service. In this way, they could follow the development of each patient and, for example, determine whether those who suffered from multiple sclerosis had previously been infected with the Epstein-Barr virus.
EBV, THE WIDE VIRUS
Epstein-Barr virus It is ubiquitous because it is estimated that almost everyone is infected at some point in their life, mostly during adolescence or youth. It is transmitted through salivathe disease it causes, mononucleosis, is also called the “kissing disease” because this is the main route of entry of the pathogen (although not the only one, since we can get infected just by sharing a glass of water or a toothbrush). Symptoms appear gradually, starting with a feeling of fatigue, general malaise, drowsiness or sore throat and headache, followed by fever, loss of appetite, muscle pain and swollen tonsils, so it is sometimes confused with the flu process. or with a bacterial infection. To date, there is no treatment or vaccine for this pathogen (although Moderna Pharmaceuticals recently announced the results of a clinical trial), so symptomatic treatment is used to combat the disease.
Multiple sclerosis is caused by the degradation of motor neurons in the central nervous system, recreated here in this concept image.
MULTIPLE Sclerosis, A DISEASE WITHOUT A CURE
multiple sclerosis is a chronic disease of the central nervous systemand the leading cause of disability among young adults in Western countries. The immune system of those affected attacks myelin, the protective covering that covers the nerves. In this way, communication between the brain and the rest of the body is interrupted, which can cause deterioration and permanent damage over time. “It’s an immune-type disease. Our immune system does it wrong and instead of attacking bacteria or viruses, it attacks the myelin sheath and inflames it. Over the years, a neurodegenerative component appears that causes progressive disability,” Xavier Montalbán, head of the neurological service at the Vall d’Hebron Hospital in Barcelona and director of the Multiple Sclerosis Center in Catalonia, explains to National Geographic Spain.
On the trail of the mononucleosis virus
To demonstrate the close connection between the two diseases, the researchers relied on the data of those infected with multiple sclerosis, which turned out to be less than a thousand among the 10 million subjects studied (this disease is estimated to affect around 3 million people worldwide). They identified 801 cases with clinical samples suitable for reanalysis, after which they found that only 1 was not infected with Epstein-Barr virus. Because they had access to medical records, they could even check when they were infected: They found that 97% of those who enlisted without becoming infected were infected during the study period. When they checked the data with the control group, they found it was an infection Epstein-Barr virus increases the odds of getting multiple sclerosis by 32.
According to a study, infection with the Epstein Barr virus increases the chances of getting multiple sclerosis by 32 times.
But if the virus infects almost everyone, especially in adolescence or youth, very few of them develop multiple sclerosis. So, How can it be concluded that the main cause of this neurodegenerative disease is a virus? Scientists point out that this virus is not actually the only risk factor, but they indicate that it is the brightest of all. The evidence is that its trace can be detected in 95% of the population, but in patients with multiple sclerosis it reaches practically 100%, according to data provided by researchers in previous analyzes carried out on the same study group.
BETWEEN HOPE AND CAUTION
“It is what the study says Epstein-Barr virus infection is a necessary element in the development of multiple sclerosis. A relationship that doesn’t work the other way around. This means that 95% of the world’s population is infected with the virus, but most will not suffer from multiple sclerosis. So the virus would be an indispensable factor, but not a sufficient one to explain a disease that needs other causes, such as the individual’s genetic predisposition, smoking or lack of vitamin C”, points out Montalban.
Xavier Montalban, head of the neurology service at the Vall d’Hebrón hospital in Barcelona: “The virus would be an underlying factor, but it is not enough to explain the disease.
What will translate into this discovery remains to be seenalthough a priori it could be used to develop new treatments. Some experts are investigating the difficulty of fighting this disease by just acting against the virus. Others claim it new treatments could target brain cells that produce antibodies against the pathogenwhich could hopefully contribute to improving the condition of patients with sclerosis.
As Montalbán explains, the discovery opens the door to many speculations, the most obvious of which is to consider a possible vaccine to prevent future cases. “However, the vaccine would not make sense in those patients who have already been infected with the virus, which opens the door to further treatment, as an effective antiviralAnother option, the expert explains, would be administration of monoclonal antibodies called anti-cd20, which would act against B lymphocytes, the reservoirs of the Epstein-Barr virus in the human body. “If we observed that this drug had a positive effect, we could deduce that we would attack the virus. an indirect way of attacking the pathogen, although this is pure speculation at this point,” he clarifies. Future research will determine if there is finally light at the end of the tunnel against this disease.
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