Can we vaccinate against Epstein-Barr, the virus you didn ’t know you had?

EBV is a puzzling pathogen that lies dormant in most of us. But its link to MS – detailed in a landmark new study – and some cancers has led to the development of new vaccinesIn the 1970s, Hank Balfour, a virologist at the University of Minnesota Medical School, was studying the long-term survival prospects of kidney transplant patients when he noticed that a small proportion of them went on to develop a rare form of cancer known as post-transplant proliferative disorder.He was particularly intrigued when he discovered that almost all of these patients had been infected with a virus called Epstein-Barr or EBV, a curious pathogen that has captivated and puzzled virus-hunters for decades.Continue reading...
Source: Guardian Unlimited Science - Category: Science Authors: Tags: Science Multiple sclerosis Infectious diseases Medical research Microbiology Vaccines and immunisation Health Source Type: news