Infections, Vaccines and Autoimmunity: A Multiple Sclerosis Perspective.

Area of Science:

• Neuroimmunology
• Infectious Disease Immunology
• Vaccinology

Background:

• Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic neuroinflammatory and neurodegenerative disease influenced by environmental factors.
• Potential roles of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) and human endogenous retroviruses (HERV) in MS susceptibility are investigated.
• The rise of immunomodulatory therapies raises questions about standard immunization efficacy in MS patients.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review the interplay between infections, treatments, and MS susceptibility/progression.
• To examine vaccine interactions (hepatitis B, influenza, HPV, DTP, BCG) with MS pathophysiology and disease-modifying treatments (DMTs).
• To discuss HERV-targeted therapies, EBV-based vaccines, and novel vaccination strategies for MS.

Main Methods:

• Narrative review of existing literature.
• Analysis of data on vaccine interactions with MS and DMTs.
• Review of current research on HERV-targeted therapies and novel vaccine development for MS.

Main Results:

• No sufficient evidence links standard vaccination policies to increased MS risk.
• Immunomodulatory therapies may diminish vaccine benefits in MS patients.
• New MS-specific vaccine development is ongoing, despite historical challenges.

Conclusions:

• Current vaccination policies are not associated with increased MS risk.
• MS patients on immunomodulatory treatments may experience reduced vaccine efficacy.
• Ongoing research aims to develop effective MS-specific vaccines, reflecting broader medical recovery trends.