Common herpes virus variant may play role in multiple sclerosis

A variant of a common herpes virus may play a role in the development of multiple sclerosis, Swedish researchers say. They analyzed the blood of about 8,700 MS patients and a control group of more than 7,200 people without MS. They were looking for antibodies against proteins of two variants (A and B) of human herpesvirus 6 (HHV-6), which has been linked with MS. MS patients were 55 percent more likely to have antibodies against the HHV-6A protein than the control group. The researchers also looked a sub-group of almost 500 people who did not have MS. The risk of developing MS more than doubled for those who’d had a HHV-6A infection. The younger they were when the virus was found in their blood, the greater their future MS risk. The findings suggest that HHV-6A may play a role in the development of MS, according to the authors of the study published Nov. 26...