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Multiple sclerosis attacks are associated with picornavirus infections

John D Kriesel1, Andrea White, Frederick G Hayden

  • 1Department of Medicine, University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, UT 84132, USA. john.kriesel@hsc.utah.edu

Multiple Sclerosis (Houndmills, Basingstoke, England)
|May 6, 2004
PubMed

Insights

Picornaviruses may trigger relapses in multiple sclerosis (MS). This study found a significant association between picornavirus infections and MS attacks in patients with relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS).

Area of Science:

  • Neurology
  • Virology
  • Immunology

Background:

  • Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic central nervous system demyelinating disease.
  • Relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS) courses are characterized by discrete attacks.
  • Upper respiratory infections (URIs) are linked to MS attacks, but causative viruses remain unidentified.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the viral causes of URIs in RRMS patients.
  • To determine if specific viruses are associated with MS attacks following URIs.

Main Methods:

  • A cohort of 16 RRMS patients experiencing URIs was studied.
  • Viral identification involved nasal swab culture, PCR, and serology.
  • Sibley's 'at-risk' period (2 weeks pre-URI to 5 weeks post-URI) was used for analysis.

Main Results:

  • Seven of nine (78%) picornavirus-associated URIs were linked to MS attacks.
  • Only two of 12 (17%) picornavirus-negative URIs were associated with MS attacks.
  • The association between picornaviruses and MS attacks was statistically significant (P = 0.01).

Conclusions:

  • Picornaviruses are strongly associated with MS attacks following URIs in RRMS patients.
  • These findings suggest a potential role for picornaviruses in MS pathogenesis.
  • Further research into picornaviruses' role in MS is warranted.

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