Cytomegalovirus, Epstein-Barr Virus, Herpes Simplex Virus, and Varicella Zoster Virus Infection Dynamics in People with Multiple Sclerosis from Northern Italy

Maple, Peter A.; Tanasescu, Radu; Constantinescu, Cris S.; Valentino, Paola; Capobianco, Marco; D’Orso, Silvia; Borsellino, Giovanna; Battistini, Luca; Ristori, Giovanni; Mechelli, Rosella; Salvetti, Marco; Gran, Bruno

doi:10.3390/pathogens13060499

Cytomegalovirus, Epstein-Barr Virus, Herpes Simplex Virus, and Varicella Zoster Virus Infection Dynamics in People with Multiple Sclerosis from Northern Italy

Maple, Peter A.; Tanasescu, Radu; Constantinescu, Cris S.; Valentino, Paola; Capobianco, Marco; D’Orso, Silvia; Borsellino, Giovanna; Battistini, Luca; Ristori, Giovanni; Mechelli, Rosella; Salvetti, Marco; Gran, Bruno

Authors

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

Abstract

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 < 0.001) in PwMS compared with HCs. For PwMS, the EBNA-1 IgG levels decreased with age, particularly in females. The CMV IgG seroprevalence was 58.7% in PwMS and 62.9% in HCs. CMV IgG seroprevalence increased with age. The HSV IgG seroprevalence was 71.2% in PwMS and 70.8% in HCs. HSV IgG levels were lower (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.

Citation

Maple, P. A., Tanasescu, R., Constantinescu, C. S., Valentino, P., Capobianco, M., D’Orso, S., Borsellino, G., Battistini, L., Ristori, G., Mechelli, R., Salvetti, M., & Gran, B. (2024). Cytomegalovirus, Epstein-Barr Virus, Herpes Simplex Virus, and Varicella Zoster Virus Infection Dynamics in People with Multiple Sclerosis from Northern Italy. Pathogens, 13(6), Article 499. https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens13060499

Journal Article Type	Article
Acceptance Date	Jun 6, 2024
Online Publication Date	Jun 12, 2024
Publication Date	2024-06
Deposit Date	Jun 15, 2024
Publicly Available Date	Jun 19, 2024
Journal	Pathogens
Electronic ISSN	2076-0817
Publisher	MDPI
Peer Reviewed	Peer Reviewed
Volume	13
Issue	6
Article Number	499
DOI	https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens13060499
Keywords	multiple sclerosis; Italy; human herpesviruses; Epstein–Barr virus; cytomegalovirus; herpes simplex virus; varicella zoster virus; seroprevalence; antibody levels
Public URL	https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/36016124
Publisher URL	https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0817/13/6/499