Serum levels of EBVNA-IgG and EBVCA-IgG in patients with multiple sclerosis

Abstract

The present case-control study includes 50 patients with multiple sclerosis, diagnosed according to McDonald criteria, 35 women and 15 men, median age 40.8 years (21-61). Twenty of them had familial history with disease transmitted from the mother. Relapsing-remitting course was noted in 42 of them, relapsing-progressive in 4 and secondary progressive in 4. Statistically significant association with multiple sclerosis was found only for the highest serum levels of EBVCA IgG > 750 U/ml (17 vs. 8, p<0.05) and EBVNA IgG > 1.000 U/ml (23 vs. 3, p<0.05). The subgroup analysis by gender and family history did not reveal significant difference between cases and controls. Two of the sporadic cases were EBVCA IgG and EBVNA IgG negative. In both groups there was identical age-depended increase of the serum levels. The analysis of HLA-G 14bp ins/del polymorphism did not reveal a significant difference between the patients with the EBVCA >750 U/ml и EBVNA > 1.000 U/ml, the entire cohort and controls. In contrast to the literature, we found no convincing evidence for the role of EBV in MS. Except a true association, the highest serum levels may reflect a synergistic influence of other genetic or enviromental factors or may be just a secondary phenomenon. However, the possible role of EBV at the early stages of MS pathogenesis could not be excluded and future and larger studies with a proper design are justified.