感染症と免疫性神経疾患—多発性硬化症・視神経脊髄炎とEBウイルス

Association between Multiple Sclerosis or Neuromyelitis Optica and Epstein-Barr Virus

EBウイルスは多発性硬化症に関しては長年の研究の蓄積があり，発症前の，おそらく小児期のウイルス感染が病態形成に何らかの形で関与していると考えられている。一方，最近，われわれは視神経脊髄炎とEBウイルスとの関連について多発性硬化症を対照にして検討し，多発性硬化症が従来言われているように既感染と関連するのに対し，視神経脊髄炎では再活性化が病態に関与すると考えられる結果を得たので，それを紹介した。

Abstract

Accumulated evidence shows an association between Epstein-Barr viral (EBV) infection and multiple sclerosis (MS). In particular, EBV infections before the onset of MS, particularly in childhood, is associated with the pathogenesis of MS. Meanwhile, the association between neuromyelitis optica (NMO) and infectious agents has been reported, but is currently unclear. Recently we studied the association between NMO and EBV and compared between MS and EBV. The results showed that MS is associated with past infections of EBV as the results of previous studies. In contrast, NMO is associated with the reactivation of EBV.