Cytomegalovirus, Epstein-Barr Virus, Herpes Simplex Virus, and Varicella Zoster Virus Infection Dynamics in People with Multiple Sclerosis from Northern Italy
Peter A. Maple,
Radu Tanasescu,
Cris S. Constantinescu,
Paola Valentino,
Marco Capobianco,
Silvia D’Orso,
Giovanna Borsellino,
Luca Battistini,
Giovanni Ristori,
Rosella Mechelli,
Marco Salvetti,
Bruno Gran
Affiliations
Peter A. Maple
Mental Health and Clinical Neuroscience Academic Unit, University of Nottingham School of Medicine, Nottingham NG7 2UH, UK
Radu Tanasescu
Mental Health and Clinical Neuroscience Academic Unit, University of Nottingham School of Medicine, Nottingham NG7 2UH, UK
Cris S. Constantinescu
Mental Health and Clinical Neuroscience Academic Unit, University of Nottingham School of Medicine, Nottingham NG7 2UH, UK
Paola Valentino
Neuroscience Institute, Cavalieri Ottolenghi, 10043 Orbassano, Italy
Marco Capobianco
Neuroscience Institute, Cavalieri Ottolenghi, 10043 Orbassano, Italy
Silvia D’Orso
Department of Experimental Neuroscience, IRCSS Foundation Santa Lucia, 00179 Rome, Italy
Giovanna Borsellino
Department of Experimental Neuroscience, IRCSS Foundation Santa Lucia, 00179 Rome, Italy
Luca Battistini
Department of Experimental Neuroscience, IRCSS Foundation Santa Lucia, 00179 Rome, Italy
Giovanni Ristori
Department of Experimental Neuroscience, IRCSS Foundation Santa Lucia, 00179 Rome, Italy
Rosella Mechelli
Department of Human Science and Promotion of Quality of Life, San Raffaele Open University, 00166 Rome, Italy
Marco Salvetti
Department of Neurosciences, Mental Health and Sensory Organs, Centre for Experimental Neurological Therapies (CENTERS), Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Rome, Italy
Bruno Gran
Mental Health and Clinical Neuroscience Academic Unit, University of Nottingham School of Medicine, Nottingham NG7 2UH, UK
Previous exposure to Epstein–Barr virus (EBV) is strongly associated with the development of multiple sclerosis (MS). By contrast, past cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection may have no association, or be negatively associated with MS. This study aimed to investigate the associations of herpesvirus infections with MS in an Italian population. Serum samples (n = 200) from Italian people with multiple sclerosis (PwMS) classified as the relapsing-and-remitting clinical phenotype and (n = 137) healthy controls (HCs) were obtained from the CRESM Biobank, Orbassano, Italy. Both PwMS and HCs samples were selected according to age group (20–39 years, and 40 or more years) and sex. EBV virus capsid antigen (VCA) IgG, EBV nucleic acid-1 antigen (EBNA-1) IgG, CMV IgG, herpes simplex virus (HSV) IgG, and varicella zoster virus (VZV) IgG testing was undertaken using commercial ELISAs. EBV VCA IgG and EBNA-1 IgG seroprevalences were 100% in PwMS and 93.4% and 92.4%, respectively, in HCs. EBV VCA IgG and EBNA-1 IgG levels were higher (p p = 0.0005) in PwMS compared with HCs. VZV IgG seroprevalence was 97.5% in PwMS and 98.5% in HCs. In the population studied, several herpesvirus infections markers may have been influenced by the age and sex of the groups studied. The lack of a negative association of MS with CMV infection, and the observation of lower levels of HSV IgG in PwMS compared with HCs are findings worthy of further investigation.
