EBV antibodies in the blood
A total of 955 of the participants developed MS during the study period. One or more serum samples were available from 801 of those affected by MS. The result: only one of the people examined had no antibodies against EBV in their blood. This proportion was just 0.125 percent.
It was also interesting that people with MS had significantly higher levels of antibodies against the Epstein-Barr virus in their blood than people who had been infected with EBV without developing MS: the so-called seroconversion rate for those with MS was 97 Percent (= very many antibodies against EBV), in those who do not suffer from MS only 57 percent (= significantly lower amount of antibodies).
This could indicate that the immune system of MS patients reacted more strongly to the virus. In fact, multiple sclerosis is an autoimmune disease. Misdirected immune cells attack the protective myelin layer of the nerve fibers brain and spinal cord. As a result, nerve damage usually occurs in spasms, with sometimes permanent consequences – in particular paralysis, which leads to physical disabilities.