Skip to main content
Log in

Viral infections trigger multiple sclerosis relapses: a prospective seroepidemiological study

  • Original Communications
  • Published:
Journal of Neurology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

A neurological surveillance was combined with prospective recording of upper respiratory and gastrointestinal infections and serological diagnosis of five common viral infections in 60 benign multiple sclerosis patients, with a mean follow-up of 31 months. During 4-week at risk (AR) periods encompassing common infections, a significant excess of MS relapses was found in the AR period, with a relative risk of 1.3. A seasonal variation of the MS relapse rate was found with a minimum in summer. There was a significant correlation between the number of AR relapses and the number of common infections per month explaining the periannual distribution of relapses. The non-AR relapses showed no seasonal variation. There was a significant correlation between adenovirus CF titre rises associated with upper respiratory infections and the occurrence of a major MS relapse in the AR period (n = 7), while influenza infections were not followed by a major MS relapse (n = 6). Linear homologies have been demonstrated between adenovirus and basic myelin protein. The epidemiological approach is essential to our understanding of systemic antigens triggering multiple sclerosis activity.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Alvord EC Jr, Jahnke U, Fischer EH, et al (1987) The multiple causes of multiple sclerosis: the importance of age of infections in childhood. J Child Neurol 2:313–321

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  2. Andersen O (1980) Restricted dissemination of clinically defined attacks in an MS incidence material. Acta Neurol Scand 62 [Suppl 77] 18

    Google Scholar 

  3. Bernard C, Townsend E, Randell VB, Williamson HG (1983) Do antibodies to myelin basic protein isolated from multiple sclerosis cross-react with measles and other common virus antigens? Clin Exp Immunol 52:98–106

    PubMed  CAS  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  4. Dean G, Kurtzke JF (1971) On the risk of multiple sclerosis according to age at immigration to South Africa. BMJ 3:725–729

    Article  PubMed  CAS  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  5. Ebers GC, Bulman DE, Sadovnick AD, et al (1986) A population-based study of multiple sclerosis in twins. N Engl J Med 315:1638–1642

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Edwards JH (1961) The recognition and estimation of cyclic trends. Ann Hum Genet 25:83–87

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Fujinami RS, Oldstone MB (1985) Amino acid homology between the encephalitogenic site of myelin basic protein and virus: mechanism for autoimmunity. Science 230:1043–1045

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. Gay D, Dick G, Upton G (1986) Multiple sclerosis associated with sinusitis: case-controlled study in general practice. Lancet 1:815–819

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  9. Gwaltney JM Jr (1985) Virology and immunology of the common cold. Rhinology 23:265–271

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  10. Hammond SR, McLeod JG, Millingen KS, et al (1988) The epidemiology of multiple sclerosis in three Australian cities: Perth, Newcastle and Hobart. Brain 111:1–25

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  11. Jahnke U, Fischer EH, Alvord EC Jr (1985) Sequence homology between certain viral proteins and proteins related to encephalomyelitis and neuritis. Science 229:282–284

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  12. Kurtzke JF (1970) Clinical manifestations of multiple sclerosis. In: Vinken PJ, Bruyn GW (ed) Handbook of clinical neurology, vol 9. North-Holland, Amsterdam, p 161

    Google Scholar 

  13. Kurtzke JF (1983) Rating neurologic impairment in multiple sclerosis: an expanded disabiliy status scale (EDSS) Neurology 33:1444–1452

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  14. Mårtensson E, Axelsson R, Oden A (1980) Prophylactic effect of continuous treatment with antidepressants. Curr Ther Res 28:767–776

    Google Scholar 

  15. Merck C, Angervall L, Kindblom LG, Odén A (1983) Myxofibrosarcoma. A malignant soft tissue tumor of fibroblastic-histiocytic origin. A clinicopathological and prognostic study of 110 cases using multivariate analysis. Acta Pathol Microbiol Immunol Scand [Suppl] 282:1–40

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  16. Norrby E, Veen J van der, Espmark A (1970) A new serological technique for identification of adenovirus infections. Proc Soc Exp Biol Med 134:889–895

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  17. Panitch HS, Bever T, Katz E, Johnson KP (1991) Upper respiratory tract infections trigger attacks of multiple sclerosis in patients treated with interferon. J Neuroimmunol [Suppl 1]:125

  18. Poser CM, Paty DW, Scheinberg L, et al (1983) New diagnostic criteria for multiple sclerosis: guidelines for research protocols. Ann Neurol 13:227–231

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  19. Salmi A, Reunanen M, Ilonen J, Panelius M (1983) Intrathecal antibody synthesis to virus antigens in multiple sclerosis. Clin Exp Immunol 52:241–249

    PubMed  CAS  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  20. Schapira K (1959) The seasonal incidence of onset and exacerbations in multiple sclerosis. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry 22:285–286

    Article  PubMed  CAS  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  21. Schauf CL, Davis FA (1974) Impulse conduction in multiple sclerosis: a theoretical basis for modification by temperature and pharmacological agents. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry 37:152–161

    Article  PubMed  CAS  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  22. Shaw SY, Laursen RA, Lees MB (1986) Analogous amino acid sequences in myelin proteolipid and viral proteins. FEBS Lett 207:266–270

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  23. Sibley WA, Foley JM (1965) Infection and immunization in multiple sclerosis. Ann NY Acad Sci 122:457–466

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  24. Sibley WA, Foley J (1965) Seasonal variation in multiple sclerosis and retrobulbar neuritis in Northeastern Ohio. Trans Am Neurol Assoc 90:295–297

    Google Scholar 

  25. Sibley WA, Bamford CR, Clark K (1985) Clinical viral infections and multiple sclerosis. Lancet I:1313–1315

    Article  Google Scholar 

  26. Svenningsson A, Runmarker B, Lycke J, Andersen O (1990) Incidence of MS during two fifteen-year periods in the Gothenburg region of Sweden. Acta Neurol Scand 82:161–168

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  27. Vartdal F (1989) HLA associations in multiple sclerosis: implications for immunopathogenesis. Res Immunol 140:192–196

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  28. Weise MJ, Carnegie PR (1988) An approach to searching protein sequences for superfamily relationships or chance similarities relevant to the molecular mimicry hypothesis: application to the basic proteins of myelin. J Neurochem 51:1267–1273

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Andersen, O., Lygner, PE., Bergström, T. et al. Viral infections trigger multiple sclerosis relapses: a prospective seroepidemiological study. J Neurol 240, 417–422 (1993). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00867354

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00867354

Key words

Navigation