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Reasons to suspect viruses as a cause of MS • Antiviral pathways are activated • Geographic outbreaks have been reported • All demyelinating disorders with known etiology have been caused by viruses • Antiviral treatments such as beta interferon have been effective in MS • MS symptoms wax and wane • MS symptoms worsen with viral infections • Herpes infections, like MS, flare in response to stress, heat and other infections Results suggesting an association between HHV-6 and MS • HHV-6A DNA is found in cell-free specimens from MS patients but not from healthy controls. • More HHV-6 DNA is found during MS exacerbations than during relapses. • More HHV-6 DNA is found in MS plaques than in non-affected white matter. • HHV-6A DNA is detected in CSF in the early stages more than in later stages of MS. • Lymphoproliferative response to HHV-6A is greater in MS patients than in controls. • Researchers at UCSF have induced MS symptoms in marmoset monkeys by injecting them with HHV-6A. |
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