This Article Full Text (PDF) References Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Saved Citations Download to citation manager Request Permissions Request Reprints Add to My Marked Citations Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Citing Articles via Scopus Google Scholar Articles by Kriesel, J. D Articles by Petajan, J. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Kriesel, J. D Articles by Petajan, J. Social Bookmarking                         What's this?

Multiple sclerosis attacks are associated with picornavirus infections

Department of Medicine, University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, UT 84132 USA, john.kriesel{at}hsc.utah.edu

Andrea White

Department of Neurology, University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, UT 84132 USA

Frederick G Hayden

Department of Medicine, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22908, USA

S L Spruance

Department of Medicine, University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, UT 84132 USA

Jack Petajan

Department of Neurology, University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, UT 84132 USA

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic demyelinating disease of the central nervous system, which often follows a relapsing-remitting (RR) course with discrete attacks. MS attacks have been associated with upper respiratory infections (URIs), but the specific viruses responsible have not been identified. We studied a cohort of 16 RRMS patients experiencing URI and followed them for clinically identifiable attacks. The viral causes of 21 separate URIs were investigated using culture and polymerase chain reactio n (PCR) of nasal swab specimens, and by serology. Sibley’s ‘at-risk’ period for MS attacks, beginning two weeks before and continuing for five weeks after a URI, was used for the analysis. Seven of the nine (78%) URIs due to picornaviruses were associated with an MS attack during the at-risk period. By contrast, only two of 12 (17%) picornavirus-negative URIs were associated with an MS attack (P =0.01). The possible role of picornaviruses in the patho genesis of MS deserves further study.

Key Words: attacks • common cold • exacerbations • multiple sclerosis • picornaviruses • rhinoviruses • upper respiratory infection

Multiple Sclerosis, Vol. 10, No. 2, 145-148 (2004)
DOI: 10.1191/1352458504ms1005oa


CiteULike    Complore    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    Twitter    What's this?

This article has been cited by other articles:

				M Kneider, T Bergstrom, C Gustafsson, N Nenonen, C Ahlgren, S Nilsson, and O Andersen Sequence analysis of human rhinovirus aspirated from the nasopharynx of patients with relapsing-remitting MS Multiple Sclerosis, April 1, 2009; 15(4): 437 - 442. [Abstract] [PDF]

				J. D Kriesel and W. A Sibley The case for rhinoviruses in the pathogenesis of multiple sclerosis Multiple Sclerosis, February 1, 2005; 11(1): 1 - 4. [PDF]