Virus infection may trigger unusual immune cells to attack nerves in multiple sclerosis

A virus infection can incite the body to attack its own nerve tissue by activating disease-fighting cells with receptors for both virus and nerve proteins. The dual-receptor finding suggests how nerve damage might be triggered in multiple sclerosis. MS causes blindness or paralysis, depending on the affected nerves. Different viruses could influence susceptibility to MS, depending on predisposing genes, exposure to environmental factors, and a random chance that white cells were formed to recognize both a nerve protein and a pathogen.

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