.c The Associated Press
By JIM CHILSEN
MILWAUKEE (AP) -- The discovery of herpes in the brains of those with multiple
sclerosis could lead to new treatment for a disease that affects more than
300,000 people in the United States, researchers say.
The findings announced Tuesday provide circumstantial evidence that the viral
infection may cause the debilitating disease. Scientists have long suspected a
virus triggers MS, which prompts the immune system to attack nerve fibers,
causing paralysis and death.
Experts said more research was needed, but said they hoped the study is a step
toward new treatments for MS.
``We may not be able to stop it 100 percent, but if we can stop it by 70
percent or 80 percent, the effects on patients will be dramatic,'' said Donald
Carrigan, a co-author of the study presented at a conference of the American
Neurological Association in Montreal. ``That's really what we're hopeful to
do.''
Human herpes virus-6 was found in the brains of eight of 11 MS patients
studied by scientists at the Institute for Viral Pathogenesis in Milwaukee.
The virus was also found in the blood of 14 of 25 patients.
The blood findings confirm a study published last December.
Dr. Robert Lisak, co-director of the Multiple Sclerosis Clinical and Research
Center at the Detroit Medical Center, said the study doesn't convince him that
the virus is solely to blame for MS. Past studies have been unable to confirm
that, he said.
``It would be nice if this were true. I'm not saying it can't be,'' Lisak
said. ``More study needs to be done.''
People often carry the herpes virus-6 and many other types of viruses and
bacteria, he said, and MS may have multiple causes.
Carrigan acknowledged that further research is needed but said the virus was
present only in brain areas actively damaged by MS.
AP-NY-10-21-98 0437EDT