A guide to Epstein Barr Virus (EBV)

A guide to Epstein Barr Virus (EBV)

Children commonly become infected with EBV in early childhood. Those who avoid it in early childhood commonly acquire it through kissing in their teenage years. If they get it in their teenage years, it causes glandular fever (AKA mono, mononucleosis and the kissing disease). Once infected, you never clear the infection because it hides in immune cells, like the Chicken Pox (Varicella Zoster) virus hides in the brain and Spinal Chord, only to re-emerge later in life as shingles.

For several decades the association between Multiple Sclerosis (MS) and EBV infection was known. In developed countries almost all people (95%) are infected with EBV, which is why most MS research ignored the virus. This recently changed, but it is not yet known if EBV antibodies attack the brain and spinal cord, or if EBV infected immune cells are driven to do the damage.

It has been implicated in all so called autoimmune disease like Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) and Systemic Lupus Erythematosis (SLE)

It causes some cancers like Burkett’s Lymphoma and Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma.

It appears likely to interact with the CoVID-19 pathogen and makes long CoVID more likely.

For more information, or to talk to a GP if you are concerned about EBV, contact the clinic to make an appointment.