Prevalence of seropositivity of selected herpesviruses in patients with multiple sclerosis in the North of Jordan

BMC Neurology

Suhib Sabaheen¹  Hassan M. Kofahi¹  Majdi Al Qawasmeh²  Aiman Momani²  Ahmed Yassin²  Raid M. Kofahi²  Khalid El-Salem²  Kefah Alhayk² 

[1] Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences, Jordan University of Science and Technology, Irbid, Jordan;Department of Neurosciences, Jordan University of Science and Technology, P.O. Box 3030, 22110, Irbid, Jordan;

关键词: Multiple sclerosis;    Autoimmunity;    Varicella;    Jordan;    Middle East;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s12883-020-01977-w

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundMultiple sclerosis (MS) is a neurological disease that is caused by an autoimmune response that results in the neuron’s demyelination in the central nervous system. The exact etiology of MS is not clear; however, several environmental and genetic factors are believed to participate in its initiation and development, including exposure to viruses. This study aims to investigate the association between the seropositivity and antibody titer of selected herpesviruses and MS in Jordanian MS patients.MethodIn this study, 55 MS patients and 40 age- and gender-matching apparently healthy volunteers were recruited from two main hospitals in the north of Jordan. MS patients were grouped into three types of MS based on the clinical presentation of the disease. Blood samples were collected from the participants and the IgG antibodies for human herpesvirus 6 (HHV-6), Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) nuclear antigen (EBNA), EBV viral capsid antigen (VCA) and varicella-zoster virus (VZV) were assayed by ELISA. The prevalence of seropositivity and the antibody level for each of the antibodies were compared between MS patients and controls and between the three types of MS.ResultsThere was no significant difference in the prevalence of seropositivity and in the levels of antibodies for HHV-6, EBNA and VCA between MS patients and controls and between the three types of MS. In contrast, the number of seropositive patients and the level of IgG antibodies for VZV were significantly higher in MS patients compared to the control.ConclusionThis study showed that patients with MS in the north of Jordan were more likely to be seropositive for VZV than the general population. Based on this finding, we recommend further studies to evaluate the seropositivity to VZV to be carried out in other parts of Jordan and the greater middle east to find out if there is a correlation between MS and previous infection with VZV.

【 授权许可】

CC BY