Hope for vaccine as doctors find cause of MS

A VACCINE for avoiding multiple sclerosis has moved a step closer, as doctors believe they have discovered the cause of the disease.

MS develops after two separate common infections which cause the body to attack itself.

And doctors now believe the development of a vaccine against one of the viruses may hold the key to future MS prevention. The neurological condition is triggered when the immune system attacks the nerves, causing pain, fatigue, vision problems and spasms.

What causes the body to begin attacking itself has never been identified.

But scientists at the University of Glasgow in Scotland and Harvard University in the US suggest exposure to two common infections – threadworms followed by the Epstein-Barr virus – may be the trigger.

The findings therefore suggest that developing a vaccine or drugs to stop people getting the Epstein-Barr virus could also make them immune to multiple sclerosis.

Professor John Paul Leach, of the University of Glasgow, said: “MS is a condition where the body produces antibodies against itself for reasons that have never been understood and goes against its own nervous system. There is already some evidence that exposure to the Epstein-Barr virus makes it more likely someone will develop MS, but this does not offer the full explanation of why people develop this reaction.”

Dr Patrick Kearns, of Harvard University, who led the research, said: “I believe the missing link may be threadworm infection.”

Kearns believes that what may be causing MS is a rare late complication of exposure to these two infections. – Daily Mail