The recently identified human herpesvirus 6, the cause of a common childhood disease and of illness in people with weak immune systems, has also been linked to multiple sclerosis. It is still not known whether human herpesvirus 6, which is responsible for a common childhood disease and for disease in people with weak immune systems, might cause other conditions such as multiple sclerosis, says an article in the upcoming issue of Emerging Infectious Diseases, CDC's peer reviewed journal, which tracks new and reemerging infections worldwide. Human herpesvirus 6, identified in 1986, can be found in nearly everyone in most countries worldwide. This virus belongs to a family of eight human herpesviruses, which can cause a wide variety of symptoms and conditions, including fever, rash, cold sores, genital sores, chickenpox, mononucleosis, and shingles.
Children recover, but the virus can multiply and survive in the body.
For them, the virus can become reactivated and cause organ rejection or death. This virus tends to affect nerve tissue, and scientists have looked at the link between the virus and multiple sclerosis, a disease involving degeneration of the covering of the nerves, which leads to paralysis and eventually death. Studies have found evidence of previous infection with herpesvirus 6 more often in patients with multiple sclerosis than in those without. However, the authors believe that this finding may be a sign of the disease rather than its cause. In addition, studies have not been able to find any of the virus's DNA in blood and cerebrospinal fluid or any RNA in brain tissue.