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Updated: Mar 7, 2026
A Method of Trigonometric Modelling of Seasonal Variation Demonstrated with Multiple Sclerosis Relapse Data
Published on: December 9, 2015
Multiple sclerosis-associated retrovirus, Epstein-Barr virus, and vitamin D status in patients with relapsing
Aliehossadat Mostafa1, Somayeh Jalilvand1, Zabihollah Shoja2
1Virology Department, School of Public Health (SPH), Tehran University of Medical Sciences (TUMS), Tehran, Iran.
Abstract:
The relationship between infections and autoimmune diseases is complex and there are several reports highlighting the role of human endogenous retroviruses (HERVs) in these patients. The levels of multiple sclerosis-associated retrovirus (MSRV)-type DNA of Env gene was measured in peripheral blood mononuclear cells from 52 patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) and 40 healthy controls using specific quantitative PCR (qPCR) analysis. Furthermore, we analyzed the status of HERV-W/MSRV in these patients with regards to both EBV (DNA load and anti-EBNA1 IgG antibody) and vitamin D concentration. MSRV DNA copy number were significantly higher in RRMS patients than healthy controls (P < 0.0001). Interestingly, an inverse correlation was found between MSRV DNA copy number and serum vitamin D concentration (P < 0.01), but not for EBV load or anti-EBNA-1 IgG antibody.
