An essential role of virus-infected B cells in the marmoset experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis model.

Infection with Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) has been associated with an enhanced risk of genetically susceptible individuals to develop multiple sclerosis (MS). However, an explanation for the contrast between the high EBV infection prevalence (60-90%) and the low MS prevalence (0.1%) eludes us. Here we propose a new concept for the EBV-MS association developed in the experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis model in marmoset monkeys, which are naturally infected with the EBV-related γ1-herpesvirus CalHV3. The data indicate that the infection of B cells with a γ1-herpesvirus endows them with the capacity to activate auto-aggressive CD8+ T cells specific for myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein.