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Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is a common neurological disorder with a prevalance rate of approximately 50-100/100,000 in the United states of America. Over the years, many infectious agents including viruses have been implicated in the pathogenesis of MS. The first evidence of the possible association of Human herpesvirus-6 with MS was reported in 1994 by Challoner et al (1), who found evidence for HHV-6 DNA in MS plaques. It is now known that HHV-6 may contribute to the pathogenesis of multiple sclerosis (MS). The association between HHV-6 and MS has been researched more than with any other previously mentioned neurologic association in adults. One study by Soldan et al (2) demonstrated an increased level of serum IgG and IgM to HHV-6 antigen, an antigen which has previously been shown to be associated with MS plaques. In another study, the presence of HHV-6 nuclear staining by immunocytochemistry was observed in oligodendrocytes from patients with MS but not in control subjects. The staining was seen to be localised around the MS plaques (2). Human herpesvirus-6 is the most neuroinvasive member of the human herpesvirus family. Infection has been associated with encephalitis in adult bone marrow and liver transplant patients. It has also been documented that HHV-6 frequently (at least 60-70%) infects the CNS tissues of patients with AIDS(3). References - Challoner PB et al. Plaque associated expression of human herpesvirus-6 in multiple sclerosis. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA: 92 7440-7444, 1995.
- Soldan S. S. et al. Association of Human herpesvirus-6 (HHV-6) with multiple sclerosis; Increased IgM response to HHV-6 early antigen and detection of serum HHV-6 DNA. Nature Medicine 12 (3) 1394-1397, 1997.
- Knox KK, Carrigan DR. Active Human Herpesvirus Six (HHV-6) infection of the central nervous system in patients with AIDS. J Immune Deficiency Defic Asyndr and Hum Retrovir 9:69-73, 1995.
Links of Interest The National Multiple Sclerosis Society:
http://www.nmss.org/ The Multiple Sclerosis Foundation:
http://www.msfacts.org/ The Multiple Sclerosis Association of America:
http://www.msaa.com/ The Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada:
http://www.mssociety.ca/ Multiple Sclerosis Message Board:
http://p216.ezboard.com/fmsdiagnosedmultiplesclerosis Multiple Sclerosis and Viruses:
http://www.geocities.com/HotSprings/3468/hhv-6.html Wisconsin Viral Research Group:
http://www.wisconsinlab.com/ms.htm Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Support:
http://www.chronicfatiguesyndromesupport.com/library/showarticle.cfm/ID/1439/ Article from "The Scientist" magazine:
http://www.the-scientist.com/article/display/11837/
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