• Nourollah Ramroodi, Abbas Ali Niazi, Nima Sanadgol, Zohre Ganjali, and Vida Sarabandi.
• Department of Neurology, Zahedan University of Medical Science, Zahedan, Iran.
• Braz J Infect Dis. 2013 Mar 1; 17 (2): 156-63.

ObjectivesEpstein-Barr virus has been recently associated with the onset of multiple sclerosis, yet understanding how it elicits autoimmunity remains elusive. We investigated the relation between Epstein-Barr virus reactivation and disease development in different subtypes of multiple sclerosis.MethodsIn the present research, we have determined the Epstein-Barr virus-DNA load by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction and Epstein-Barr virus antibody levels by EIA technique in both multiple sclerosis patients (n=78) and healthy controls (n=123).ResultsOur results demonstrated increased titer of both anti-Epstein-Barr virus-IgG and IgM antibodies in patients (91.02% vs 82.11% in controls, p<0.001 and 14.1% vs 4.06% in controls, p<0.001, respectively). Overall, Epstein-Barr virus reactivation was found in 68.75% of subtypes of multiple sclerosis, 4.54% of multiple sclerosis primary subtype, and in only 3.25% of healthy control subjects. Moreover, in samples of patients with disease relapse (exacerbation) cell free viral DNA was elevated in contrast to other patients (p<0.001).ConclusionsThese findings provide further support for the detrimental effects of Epstein-Barr virus in the reactivation of multiple sclerosis attacks.Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Editora Ltda. All rights reserved.

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