High Epstein-Barr antibody levels over time may aid MS diagnosis

Study points to potential way to distinguish MS from other conditions

Written by Marisa Wexler, MS | March 16, 2026

• Persistently high Epstein-Barr virus antibody levels are common in MS patients.
• Serial EBV antibody testing can help differentiate MS from other diseases.
• This biomarker is crucial for accurate diagnosis and treatment selection.

Most people with multiple sclerosis (MS) have persistently high levels of antibodies against Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), but these antibodies are much less common in people with other neuroinflammatory diseases and in healthy people, a study found

“This study indicates that serial testing for EBV-specific antibodies could serve as an additional biomarker to help distinguish MS from other neuroinflammatory diseases that may have similar clinical and [imaging] features,” study co-author Bianca Weinstock-Guttman, MD, a professor at the University at Buffalo, said in a university news story.

The study, “Epstein-Barr virus antibodies to differentiate multiple sclerosis from other neuroinflammatory diseases,” was published in JAMA Neurology.

EBV is best known for causing infectious mononucleosis. Most adults worldwide have been infected with the virus, usually without obvious symptoms or associated with nonspecific childhood illnesses.

A large body of evidence has shown that infection with EBV is a key risk factor for developing MS, though the mechanisms underlying this association are not fully understood.

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