During e b v infections, immune system cells known as b cells pump out antibodies against the protein made by the virus. That protein happens to share some structural similarities with a protein in the central nervous system called glel cam. Overtime, some of the bee cells can start making antibodies that bind to both e b n a one and gleal cam. The result is a friendly fire attack on nurons. Some 20 to twent five % of people with m s carry these trigger happy antibodies.
Results from a huge epidemiological study found that infection by the Epstein-Barr virus increases the risk of developing multiple sclerosis 32-fold. This result, combined with emerging mechanistic insights into how the virus triggers brain damage, are raising the prospect of treating or preventing MS.
These advances come at a time when researchers are more interested than ever in what happens in the months and years following a viral infection, and highlights the issues untangling the relationships between infectious diseases and chronic conditions.
This is an audio version of our Feature: The quest to prevent MS — and understand other post-viral diseases.
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