Seroprevalence of Herpes Simplex Virus Types 1 & 2 (HSV 1,2) in Subjects with Multiple Sclerosis: A Case Control Study

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an inflammatory disease of the central nervous system (CNS) in genetically susceptible individuals with various causes. Infections such as viral infections are suggested as potential underlying factors in the development of MS. Many studies have indicated the possible role of Herpes simplex virus (HSV) in the pathogenesis of MS. The current study aimed to evaluate anti-HSV type 1 and type 2 IgG Immunoglobulin of patients with MS.

In this assessment, serological samples of 38 patients with MS who were referred to the Neurology Department of Ghaem Hospital of Mashhad were compared with the control group; 41 patients from other Departments of Ghaem Hospital who did not have any signs of MS disease. Samples were evaluated for presence of antibody to HSV type 1 and type 2 by the Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).

29 patients with MS (76.3%) were positive, and 9 patients (23.7%) were negative for anti-HSV IgG antibody. In the control group, 36 samples (87.8%) were positive and 5 (12.2%) were negative for anti-HSV IgG antibody. Therefore, we found no correlation between HSV infection and MS. Although job distribution and MS did show an association in our study (P=0.034).

Despite all the studies confirming the connection between HSV and MS disease, in this assessment, no relation between infection with Herpes Simplex Virus and Multiple sclerosis was observed.