Significant low prevalence of antibodies reacting with simian virus 40 mimotopes in serum samples from patients affected by inflammatory neurologic diseases, including multiple sclerosis

PLoS One. 2014 Nov 3;9(11):e110923. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0110923. eCollection 2014.

Abstract

Many investigations were carried out on the association between viruses and multiple sclerosis (MS). Indeed, early studies reported the detections of neurotropic virus footprints in the CNS of patients with MS. In this study, sera from patients affected by MS, other inflammatory (OIND) and non-inflammatory neurologic diseases (NIND) were analyzed for antibodies against the polyomavirus, Simian Virus 40 (SV40). An indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), with two synthetic peptides, which mimic SV40 antigens, was employed to detect specific antibodies in sera from patients affected by MS, OIND, NIND and healthy subjects (HS). Immunologic data indicate that in sera from MS patients antibodies against SV40 mimotopes are detectable with a low prevalence, 6%, whereas in HS of the same mean age, 40 yrs, the prevalence was 22%. The difference is statistically significant (P = 0.001). Significant is also the difference between MS vs. NIND patients (6% vs. 17%; P = 0.0254), whereas no significant difference was detected between MS vs OIND (6% vs 10%; P>0.05). The prevalence of SV40 antibodies in MS patients is 70% lower than that revealed in HS.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Adult
  • Aged
  • Aged, 80 and over
  • Antibodies, Viral / blood
  • Antibodies, Viral / immunology*
  • Case-Control Studies
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Immunoglobulin G / blood
  • Immunoglobulin G / immunology
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Multiple Sclerosis / epidemiology
  • Multiple Sclerosis / immunology
  • Nervous System Diseases / epidemiology*
  • Nervous System Diseases / immunology*
  • Seroepidemiologic Studies
  • Simian virus 40 / immunology*
  • Young Adult

Substances

  • Antibodies, Viral
  • Immunoglobulin G

Grants and funding

This study was sponsored, in part, by grants from The University of Ferrara, FAR Projects, University Hospital of Ferrara, Regione Emilia Romagna, ERMES, MS project to E.G., F.M. and M.T., Fondazione Cassa di Risparmio di Ferrara to E.G., and Fondazione Cassa di Risparmio di Cento to F.M. and M.T. Italy. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.