“Infection with the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) has long been postulated to trigger multiple sclerosis (MS). Prior analyses demonstrated increased serum antibodies to EBV in ∼99.5% of MS patients compared with ∼94% of healthy individuals. ….. Bjornevik et al. analyzed EBV antibodies in serum from 801 individuals who developed MS among a cohort of >10 million people active in the US military over a 20-year period (1993–2013). Thirty-five of the 801 MS cases were initially EBV seronegative, and 34 became infected with EBV before the onset of MS. EBV seropositivity was nearly ubiquitous at the time of MS development, with only one of 801 MS cases being EBV seronegative at the time of MS onset. These findings provide compelling data that implicate EBV as the trigger for the development of MS. …”

Robinson WH, Steinman L. Epstein-Barr virus and multiple sclerosis. Science. 2022 Jan 21;375(6578):264-265. doi: 10.1126/science.abm7930. Epub 2022 Jan 13. PMID: 35025606.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35025606/