@article{9afd7dc7238249fcb86c23113519901f,
title = "Longitudinal analysis reveals high prevalence of Epstein-Barr virus associated with multiple sclerosis",
abstract = "Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic inflammatory demyelinating disease of the central nervous system of unknown etiology. We tested the hypothesis that MS is caused by Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) in a cohort comprising more than 10 million young adults on active duty in the US military, 955 of whom were diagnosed with MS during their period of service. Risk of MS increased 32-fold after infection with EBV but was not increased after infection with other viruses, including the similarly transmitted cytomegalovirus. Serum levels of neurofilament light chain, a biomarker of neuroaxonal degeneration, increased only after EBV seroconversion. These findings cannot be explained by any known risk factor for MS and suggest EBV as the leading cause of MS.",
author = "Kjetil Bjornevik and Marianna Cortese and Healy, {Brian C.} and Jens Kuhle and Mina, {Michael J.} and Yumei Leng and Elledge, {Stephen J.} and Niebuhr, {David W.} and Scher, {Ann I.} and Munger, {Kassandra L.} and Alberto Ascherio",
note = "Funding Information: This work was supported by grants NS046635, NS042194, and NS103891 from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health (NIH); National Multiple Sclerosis Society award PP-1912-35234 and German Research Foundation (DFG) research fellowship CO 2129/1-1 to M.C.; and NIH Directors Early Independence Award DP5-OD028145 to M.J.M.. S.J.E is an investigator with the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the NIH. Publisher Copyright: Copyright {\textcopyright} 2022 The Authors, some rights reserved; exclusive licensee American Association for the Advancement of Science. No claim to original U.S. Government Works",
year = "2022",
month = jan,
day = "21",
doi = "10.1126/science.abj8222",
language = "English",
volume = "375",
pages = "296--301",
journal = "Science",
issn = "0036-8075",
number = "6578",
}