EBV infection may drive multiple sclerosis through cross-reactive antibodies and B cell dysfunction

A 2022 study found clonally expanded B cells in MS patients that recognize both the EBV protein EBNA1 and the CNS protein gliaCAM, pointing to molecular mimicry as a mechanism. An expert talk on ImmuneZoom also discusses how EBV latency patterns in infected B cells and two pathogenic routes may lead to autoimmunity, and how anti-CD20 antibodies depleting B cells have proven effective in large MS trials. The talk runs 46 minutes.