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Abstract:
Information available about the etiopathogenesis of multiple sclerosis is reviewed. It is concluded that multiple sclerosis is a chronic inflammatory disease, which usually has fluctuating manifestations. Oligoclonal and individual-specific humoral antibody responses suggest the existence of a continuous antigenic stimulus in the CNS tissue, which may vary in intensity from time to time. The best explanation for this antigen suggests, that is has a viral origin, but the available evidence for this hypothesis is, however, only indirect. More sophisticated methods are proclaimed to characterize specifically the humoral and cellular immunity to virus antigens and the interactions between viruses and cells in patients with demyelinating diseases like multiple sclerosis.