Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

Evidence for multiple sclerosis as an infectious disease

S D Cook1, C Rohowsky-Kochan, S Bansil

  • 1Department of Neurosciences, UMDNJ-New Jersey Medical School, Newark, USA.

Acta Neurologica Scandinavica. Supplementum
|January 1, 1995
PubMed
Summary

While no virus is definitively linked to multiple sclerosis (MS), circumstantial evidence suggests a viral trigger. Canine distemper virus shows the most promise among potential infectious agents causing MS.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Successful conservative management of urinary tract rupture in dogs and cats: 52 cases (2003-2024).

The Journal of small animal practice·2025
Same author

Multimodality diagnostic imaging findings in a dog with a traumatic pulmonary pseudocyst.

The Journal of small animal practice·2020
Same author

Joint Laxity and Proprioception in the Knee.

The Physician and sportsmedicine·2016
Same author

The effect of abductor forces on femoral stem stresses in cemented prosthetic hip replacement.

Orthopedics·2014
Same author

Early, design-related failure in total knee arthroplasty a case report.

Orthopedics·2014
Same author

Pyrolite carbon implants in the metacarpophalangeal joint of baboons.

Orthopedics·2014

Area of Science:

  • Neurology
  • Virology
  • Immunology

Background:

  • Direct evidence linking viruses to multiple sclerosis (MS) is lacking, as no infectious agent has been consistently isolated from MS tissues.
  • Indirect evidence, including animal models, serologic studies, and epidemiology, suggests an infectious trigger for MS.
  • Proposed mechanisms involve persistent viral infection or immune-mediated damage leading to demyelination.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review the evidence for a viral cause of multiple sclerosis (MS).
  • To evaluate potential viral candidates based on established criteria for MS pathogenesis.
  • To assess the cumulative evidence supporting specific viruses, such as canine distemper virus.

Main Methods:

  • Review of existing literature on MS, viral infections, and demyelination.

Related Experiment Videos

  • Analysis of serologic and epidemiologic data related to MS and potential viral agents.
  • Evaluation of animal models of viral-induced demyelination.

    • Main Results:

    • No virus has been unequivocally identified as the cause of MS.
    • Canine distemper virus (CDV) presents the most compelling, albeit indirect, evidence among proposed viral candidates.
    • CDV fits the criteria for causing demyelination and aligns with MS epidemiological patterns.

    Conclusions:

    • The cumulative evidence suggests a potential viral etiology for MS, with CDV being a leading candidate.
    • Further research is needed to definitively establish a viral link and understand the mechanisms of viral-induced demyelination in MS.
    • Current evidence remains circumstantial, necessitating more direct proof for a definitive viral cause of MS.