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Longitudinal analysis reveals high prevalence of Epstein-Barr virus associated with multiple sclerosis
Abstract
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic inflammatory demyelinating disease of the central nervous system of unknown etiology. We tested the hypothesis that MS is caused by Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) in a cohort comprising more than 10 million young adults on active duty in the US military, 955 of whom were diagnosed with MS during their period of service. Risk of MS increased 32-fold after infection with EBV but was not increased after infection with other viruses, including the similarly transmitted cytomegalovirus. Serum levels of neurofilament light chain, a biomarker of neuroaxonal degeneration, increased only after EBV seroconversion. These findings cannot be explained by any known risk factor for MS and suggest EBV as the leading cause of MS.
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“This phenomenon is particularly relevant considering recent data demonstrating that EBV infection is a necessary risk factor for MS and that cross-reactive immune responses between EBV antigens and CNS proteins may contribute to disease initiation [211, 212].”
From Insights and challenges on animal models for progressive multiple sclerosis (2026) · cites this paper as [212]
In the citing paper
“For example, type 1 diabetes mellitus was linked to enterovirus infections185 and multiple sclerosis to Epstein–Barr virus (EBV) infections186.”
From COVID-19 and cellular senescence (2023) · cites this paper as [186]
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A survey of pathogenic involvement in non-communicable human diseases
Lape, M., Schnell, D. J., Parameswaran, S., Ernst, K., O’Connor, S. K., Salomonis, N., Martin, L. J., Harnett, B. M., Kottyan, L. C., & Weirauch, M. T. (2025) · Communications Medicine · doi:10.1038/s43856-025-00956-x · Cited by 8
“Finally, our model validated the now well-established associations of EBV with multiple sclerosis(MS) 10,12,41 andwithsystemiclupuserythematosus(SLE) 42,43 .”
Unraveling the complexities of neurotropic virus infection and immune evasion
Verma, A. K., & Perlman, S. M. (2025) · Microbiology and Molecular Biology Reviews · doi:10.1128/mmbr.00185-23 · Cited by 9
Park, B., Nicaise, A. M., Tsitsipatis, D., Pirvan, L., Žucha, D., Munteanu, A., Prasad, P., Larraz, M., Bulgaru, C., Kollyfas, R., et al. (2025) · Neuron · doi:10.1016/j.neuron.2025.09.022 · Cited by 12
Barbuti, E., Piervincenzi, C., Ruggieri, S., & Petracca, M. (2025) · Brain Sciences · doi:10.3390/brainsci15101097 · Cited by 9
“Serum levels of neurofilament light chain, a biomarker of neuroaxonal degeneration, increased only after EBV seroconversion, indicating that EBV infection preceded the first pathological signs underlying MS and suggesting EBV infection as the leading cause of MS [82].”
Bjørnevik, K., Mahler, J. V., Bilodeau, P., Rød, B. E., Romanow, G., Mikami, T., Anderson, M., Bobrowski‐Khoury, N., Zhu, H., Nguyen, J., et al. (2026) · Science Translational Medicine · doi:10.1126/scitranslmed.adz6566 · Cited by 8
What causes multiple sclerosis? Getting closer to the answers
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Epstein-Barr virus infection: the leading cause of multiple sclerosis
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The industrial genomic revolution: A new era in neuroimmunology
Shalita, R., & Amit, I. (2022) · Neuron · doi:10.1016/j.neuron.2022.09.030 · Cited by 9
Mapping the Literature on Diet and Multiple Sclerosis: A Data-Driven Approach
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What do animal models tell us about the role of EBV in the pathogenesis of multiple sclerosis?
Hassani, A., & Khan, G. (2022) · Frontiers in Immunology · doi:10.3389/fimmu.2022.1036155 · Cited by 9
The repertoire of CSF antiviral antibodies in patients with neuroinflammatory diseases
Enose‐Akahata, Y., Wang, L., Almsned, F. M., Johnson, K. R., Mina, Y., Ohayon, J. M., Wang, X. W., & Jacobson, S. (2023) · Science Advances · doi:10.1126/sciadv.abq6978 · Cited by 8
Multiple Sclerosis Is Associated with Immunoglobulin Germline Gene Variation of Transitional B Cells
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Environmental Influences on Risk and Disease Course in Pediatric Multiple Sclerosis
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Epidemiological impacts of post-infection mortality
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The evolution of multiple sclerosis disease-modifying therapies: An update for pharmacists
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Rubella virus seropositivity after infection or vaccination as a risk factor for multiple sclerosis
Ingvarsson, J., Grut, V., Biström, M., Berg, L. P., Stridh, P., Huang, J., Hillert, J. A., Alfredsson, L. S., Kockum, I. S., Olsson, T. P., et al. (2024) · European Journal of Neurology · doi:10.1111/ene.16387 · Cited by 7
“Previous studies have also reported that cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection is associated with a reduced risk of developing MS. [ 12, 14 ] In addition, up to 78% of pwMS have intrathecal antibodies towards at least two of measles virus, rubella virus (RV) or varicella-zoster virus (VZV) [ 15 ].”
Background
Metadata
- Authors
- Bjornevik, K., Cortese, M., Healy, B. C., Kuhle, J., Mina, M. J., Leng, Y., Elledge, S. J., Niebuhr, D. W., Scher, A. I., Munger, K. L., & Ascherio, A.
- Affiliations
- Department of Nutrition, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA.
- Harvard University (US)
- Brigham and Women's Hospital (US)
- Neurologic Clinic and Policlinic, MS Center and Research Center for Clinical Neuroimmunology and Neuroscience Basel (RC2NB), University Hospital Basel, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland.
- Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (US)
- Department of Preventive Medicine and Biostatistics, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD, USA.
- Corresponding author
- Cortese, Marianna
- Munger, Kassandra L.
- Ascherio, Alberto
- ORCID
- Venue
- Science
- Published
- 2022-01-21
- Volume
- 375
- Issue
- 6578
- Pages
- 296-301
- ISSN
- 0036-8075 (ISSN-L)
- 1095-9203
- OpenAlex
- W4205972999
- Cited by
- 2,049
- References
- 51
- Citations by year
- 2026: 354 · 2025: 412 · 2024: 461 · 2023: 432 · 2022: 388
- FWCI
- 289.56
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Science (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute
- National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (R01NS042194, R01NS046635, R01NS103891)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Clinical Neurology › Multiple Sclerosis Research Studies
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Oncology › Viral-associated cancers and disorders
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Epidemiology › Cytomegalovirus and herpesvirus research
- Keywords
- multiple sclerosis, Epstein-Barr virus, viral etiology, neurofilament light chain, neuroaxonal degeneration, cytomegalovirus, demyelinating disease, military personnel
- MeSH terms
- Antibodies, Viral, Cytomegalovirus, Herpesvirus 4, Human, Female, Humans, Longitudinal Studies, Male, Military Personnel, Multiple Sclerosis, Risk Factors, Cohort Studies, Biomarkers, Prevalence, Neurofilament Proteins, Age of Onset, Epstein-Barr Virus Infections, Young Adult
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