Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsWhat Is EBV?Autoimmune DiseasesImmune System ImpactResearch Goals
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
What Is EBV?
Autoimmune Diseases
Immune System Impact
Research Goals
In addition to the infectious diseasemononucleosis(mono), the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is associated with an increased risk of seven differentautoimmune diseases:
Researchers say the virus appears to “switch on” certain genes that are more likely to develop one of these diseases.
This article looks at the link between EBV and seven autoimmune diseases. It also discusses how this might affect you if you’ve had EBV.
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What Is the Epstein-Barr Virus?
The Epstein-Barr virus is one of the most common viruses that infect humans. Almost everyone carries it.
You most often hear about EBV as thecauseof infectiousmononucleosis. This disease is also called mono or the “kissing disease.”
EBV is a member of the herpes virus family. Like other viruses in this group, once you contract it, you always carry it.
EBV typically stays dormant. If it does become active again, a healthy immune system can easily get it back to a dormant state.
In some people, though, the initial infection can cause long-term problems. It may activate genes that affect how your immune system functions. This is just one of the possible long-term effects of EBV.
Understanding Autoimmune Diseases
Your immune system sends out special cells to kill dangerous things. This includes invaders like viruses and bacteria.
Autoimmunity is like a case of mistaken identity. Your immune system incorrectly targets things that are supposed to be in your body, like an organ or type of tissue.
This triggers inflammation and tissue damage. People with these conditions can experience pain. They may also have fatigue. This happens because the body diverts resources to the immune response.
Other symptoms depend on what’s being damaged. For example, yourpancreasproduces insulin which helps the body process sugars. If your immune system attacks your pancreas, you will have trouble processing sugars.
What Is an Autoimmune Disease?
More than 24 million people in the United States live with autoimmune diseases. Most of these illnesses can be treated but not cured.
Exposure to environmental toxins like mercury, pesticides, and cigarette smoke can trigger these diseases. Nutrition, stress, and infections also play a role in the development of autoimmune disorders.
How Autoimmune Diseases Are ‘Turned On’
Most of us think of genetics as fixed. It’s not that simple, though. Illness, environment, and other variables can turn genes on or off.
Think of a breaker box. If you turn one switch off, you lose power to part of your house. Turn it on, the power comes back on. The same thing happens with genes and their positive or negative effect on the body.
Many people are born withgenetic predispositionsto certain illnesses. This doesn’t mean they’ll develop these diseases. They could get them under the right circumstances, though.
Link Between Autoimmune Disease and Epstein-Barr Virus
A 2018 study showed that EBV seems to be able to switch on the genes that cause autoimmune diseases. Someone without a genetic predisposition, though, can contract EBV without this happening.
Researchers looked at the genetic impact of several proteins in EBV. They found that a protein called Epstein-Barr virus nuclear antigen 2 (EBNA2) interacts with half the known genes that put a person at risk for lupus.
Researchers also looked at hundreds of other illnesses. They discovered the same association with the other six linked to the virus.
Associated Diseases
Here is the complete list of autoimmune diseases believed to be associated with EBV:
The study only looked at EBV in people with European ancestry. So far, though, people of other ancestries are not known to have a different risk profile for EBV.
EBV and CancerThe Epstein-Barr virus is also linked to the development of several cancers, including:Burkitt lymphomaGastric cancerHodgkin lymphomaNasopharyngeal cancerPost-transplantation lymphoproliferative disorder
EBV and Cancer
The Epstein-Barr virus is also linked to the development of several cancers, including:Burkitt lymphomaGastric cancerHodgkin lymphomaNasopharyngeal cancerPost-transplantation lymphoproliferative disorder
The Epstein-Barr virus is also linked to the development of several cancers, including:
The discovery of a link between EBV and autoimmune disease has opened new avenues of research for treating and possibly even preventing debilitating illnesses. Some scientists believe this will change the way we think about autoimmune diseases and EBV.
For example, antiviral therapies are being explored in the treatment of multiple sclerosis (MS), a disabling neurological disease that affects an estimated 1 million people in the United States.EBV infection is associated with a more than 30 times greater risk of developing MS.
Progress is also being made on the development of an EBV vaccine. A 2022 study identified a bivalent EBV nanoparticle vaccine that shows promise for preventing EBV infection and EBV-related cancers.A 2023 study reported a vaccine targeting the lymph nodes may provide immunity to the Epstein-Barr virus.
So far, though, these studies have been limited to animal models. While these advances are promising, more research is needed before an EBV vaccine will be available.
Summary
The Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is a type of herpes virus that causes mononucleosis. In 2018, researchers found a link between EBV and seven kinds of autoimmune diseases.
In most people, EBV remains dormant. In people who are genetically predisposed to certain autoimmune diseases, it may “switch on” the genes associated with those conditions. EBV is also linked to different cancers
The link between EBV and disease may point to new treatments for chronic illnesses. Researchers also hope to develop a vaccine to prevent EBV infection and EBV-related diseases.
10 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Harley J, Chen X, Pujato M, et al.Transcription factors operate across disease loci, with EBNA2 implicated in autoimmunity.Nat Genet. 2018;50(5):699-707. doi:10.1038/s41588-018-0102-3Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.About Epstein-Barr virus (EBV).Dunmire SK, Verghese PS, Balfour HH Jr.Primary Epstein-Barr virus infection.J Clin Virol. 2018;102:84-92. doi:10.1016/j.jcv.2018.03.001National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences.Autoimmune diseases.U.S. National Library of Medicine: MedlinePlus.Autoimmune disorders.Cui X, Snapper CM.Epstein Barr virus: development of vaccines and immune cell therapy for EBV-associated diseases.Front Immunol. 2021;12:734471. doi:10.3389/fimmu.2021.734471Soldan SS, Lieberman PM.Epstein-Barr virus and multiple sclerosis.Nat Rev Microbiol. 2023;21(1):51-64. doi:10.1038/s41579-022-00770-5Bjornevik K, Cortese M, Healy BC, et al.Longitudinal analysis reveals high prevalence of Epstein-Barr virus associated with multiple sclerosis.Science. 2022;375(6578):296-301. doi:10.1126/science.abj8222Wei CJ, Bu W, Nguyen LA, et al.A bivalent Epstein-Barr virus vaccine induces neutralizing antibodies that block infection and confer immunity in humanized mice.Sci Transl Med. 2022;14(643):eabf3685. doi:10.1126/scitranslmed.abf3685Dasari V, McNeil LK, Beckett K, et al.Lymph node targeted multi-epitope subunit vaccine promotes effective immunity to EBV in HLA-expressing mice.Nat Commun. 2023;14(1):4371. doi:10.1038/s41467-023-39770-1
10 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Harley J, Chen X, Pujato M, et al.Transcription factors operate across disease loci, with EBNA2 implicated in autoimmunity.Nat Genet. 2018;50(5):699-707. doi:10.1038/s41588-018-0102-3Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.About Epstein-Barr virus (EBV).Dunmire SK, Verghese PS, Balfour HH Jr.Primary Epstein-Barr virus infection.J Clin Virol. 2018;102:84-92. doi:10.1016/j.jcv.2018.03.001National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences.Autoimmune diseases.U.S. National Library of Medicine: MedlinePlus.Autoimmune disorders.Cui X, Snapper CM.Epstein Barr virus: development of vaccines and immune cell therapy for EBV-associated diseases.Front Immunol. 2021;12:734471. doi:10.3389/fimmu.2021.734471Soldan SS, Lieberman PM.Epstein-Barr virus and multiple sclerosis.Nat Rev Microbiol. 2023;21(1):51-64. doi:10.1038/s41579-022-00770-5Bjornevik K, Cortese M, Healy BC, et al.Longitudinal analysis reveals high prevalence of Epstein-Barr virus associated with multiple sclerosis.Science. 2022;375(6578):296-301. doi:10.1126/science.abj8222Wei CJ, Bu W, Nguyen LA, et al.A bivalent Epstein-Barr virus vaccine induces neutralizing antibodies that block infection and confer immunity in humanized mice.Sci Transl Med. 2022;14(643):eabf3685. doi:10.1126/scitranslmed.abf3685Dasari V, McNeil LK, Beckett K, et al.Lymph node targeted multi-epitope subunit vaccine promotes effective immunity to EBV in HLA-expressing mice.Nat Commun. 2023;14(1):4371. doi:10.1038/s41467-023-39770-1
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Harley J, Chen X, Pujato M, et al.Transcription factors operate across disease loci, with EBNA2 implicated in autoimmunity.Nat Genet. 2018;50(5):699-707. doi:10.1038/s41588-018-0102-3Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.About Epstein-Barr virus (EBV).Dunmire SK, Verghese PS, Balfour HH Jr.Primary Epstein-Barr virus infection.J Clin Virol. 2018;102:84-92. doi:10.1016/j.jcv.2018.03.001National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences.Autoimmune diseases.U.S. National Library of Medicine: MedlinePlus.Autoimmune disorders.Cui X, Snapper CM.Epstein Barr virus: development of vaccines and immune cell therapy for EBV-associated diseases.Front Immunol. 2021;12:734471. doi:10.3389/fimmu.2021.734471Soldan SS, Lieberman PM.Epstein-Barr virus and multiple sclerosis.Nat Rev Microbiol. 2023;21(1):51-64. doi:10.1038/s41579-022-00770-5Bjornevik K, Cortese M, Healy BC, et al.Longitudinal analysis reveals high prevalence of Epstein-Barr virus associated with multiple sclerosis.Science. 2022;375(6578):296-301. doi:10.1126/science.abj8222Wei CJ, Bu W, Nguyen LA, et al.A bivalent Epstein-Barr virus vaccine induces neutralizing antibodies that block infection and confer immunity in humanized mice.Sci Transl Med. 2022;14(643):eabf3685. doi:10.1126/scitranslmed.abf3685Dasari V, McNeil LK, Beckett K, et al.Lymph node targeted multi-epitope subunit vaccine promotes effective immunity to EBV in HLA-expressing mice.Nat Commun. 2023;14(1):4371. doi:10.1038/s41467-023-39770-1
Harley J, Chen X, Pujato M, et al.Transcription factors operate across disease loci, with EBNA2 implicated in autoimmunity.Nat Genet. 2018;50(5):699-707. doi:10.1038/s41588-018-0102-3
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.About Epstein-Barr virus (EBV).
Dunmire SK, Verghese PS, Balfour HH Jr.Primary Epstein-Barr virus infection.J Clin Virol. 2018;102:84-92. doi:10.1016/j.jcv.2018.03.001
National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences.Autoimmune diseases.
U.S. National Library of Medicine: MedlinePlus.Autoimmune disorders.
Cui X, Snapper CM.Epstein Barr virus: development of vaccines and immune cell therapy for EBV-associated diseases.Front Immunol. 2021;12:734471. doi:10.3389/fimmu.2021.734471
Soldan SS, Lieberman PM.Epstein-Barr virus and multiple sclerosis.Nat Rev Microbiol. 2023;21(1):51-64. doi:10.1038/s41579-022-00770-5
Bjornevik K, Cortese M, Healy BC, et al.Longitudinal analysis reveals high prevalence of Epstein-Barr virus associated with multiple sclerosis.Science. 2022;375(6578):296-301. doi:10.1126/science.abj8222
Wei CJ, Bu W, Nguyen LA, et al.A bivalent Epstein-Barr virus vaccine induces neutralizing antibodies that block infection and confer immunity in humanized mice.Sci Transl Med. 2022;14(643):eabf3685. doi:10.1126/scitranslmed.abf3685
Dasari V, McNeil LK, Beckett K, et al.Lymph node targeted multi-epitope subunit vaccine promotes effective immunity to EBV in HLA-expressing mice.Nat Commun. 2023;14(1):4371. doi:10.1038/s41467-023-39770-1
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