(Scientific American) – Early findings indicate that Epstein-Barr Virus may also cause the autoimmune disease lupus

For years scientists have suspected that the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)—a type of herpesvirus that infects 94 percent of the global population by adulthood and causes mononucleosis (aka “mono”)—might be one cause of lupus, an autoimmune disorder. But these assumptions were based mostly on anecdotal reports.

Now researchers at Stanford University and their colleagues have confirmed that the virus can “reprogram” immune cells that produce antibodies in a way that triggers and sustains lupus. Their small study, published today in Science Translational Medicine, provides the first evidence of this virus-disease link, the authors say. (Read More)