EBV Linked to Lupus Development

About 5 million people worldwide suffer from lupus, a disease in which the immune system attacks the contents of cell nuclei. Now, a scientific team links the development of this disease to a virus that almost all humans carry: Epstein-Barr (EBV).

This association has been noted for years, but this study is the frist, according to scientists from Stanford Medicine (United States), that demonstrates the mechanism by which it occurs; the key is in a small fraction of B cells and their alterations.

“This is the most shocking finding that has emerged from my laboratory in my entire career,” summarizes William Robinson, in a statement, who adds: “We believe it applies to 100% of lupus cases.”

The findings science Translational Medicine.“>are published in the magazine Science Translational Medicine.

The virus that almost all of us carry

by the time adulthood is reached, the vast majority of humans have been infected with EBV, the virus that causes mononucleosis.However, the immune system usually keeps it under control.