One of the most common viruses in the world could be the cause of lupus, an autoimmune disease with wide-ranging symptoms, according to a study published Wednesday.
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\nUntil now, lupus was somewhat mysterious: No single root cause of the disease had been found, and there is no designated treatment for it.<\/p>\n
The research, published in the journal Science Translational Medicine, suggests that Epstein-Barr virus \u2014 which 95% of people acquire at some point in life \u2014 could cause lupus by driving the body to attack its own healthy cells.
\nIt adds to mounting evidence that Epstein-Barr is associated with multiple long-term health issues, including other autoimmune conditions. As this evidence stacks up, scientists have accelerated calls for a vaccine that targets the virus.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf we now better understand how this fastidious virus is responsible for autoimmune diseases, I think it\u2019s time to figure out how to prevent it,\u201d said Dr. Anca Askanase, clinical director of the Lupus Center at Columbia University, who wasn\u2019t involved in the new research.
\nIn lupus patients, an autoimmune attack can result in extreme fatigue, joint pain and skin rashes. In rare cases, the disease may lead to fatal or life-threatening issues such as kidney damage, or weaken the immune system so the body can\u2019t fight off infections.<\/p>\n
Scientists have long suspected a link between Epstein-Barr and lupus, but the exact connection had remained elusive. Dr. William Robinson, a co-author of the new study and chief of the division of immunology and rheumatology at Stanford University, said his new findings solve a major piece of that puzzle.
\n\u201cFrom our perspective, it\u2019s the key, missing mechanistic link,\u201d Robinson said.
\n\u201cWe think it applies to all lupus cases,\u201d he added. Hundreds of thousands of people in the U.S. are living with the disease.<\/p>\n
But Hoang Nguyen, assistant vice president of research at the Lupus Research Alliance, said it\u2019s too soon to know if the mechanism is behind every case.
\n\u201cAlthough the evidence is intriguing and promising, more evidence is needed to demonstrate that the link to EBV applies to all lupus,\u201d Nguyen said. The nonprofit organization is a private funder of lupus research and contributed grant funding to Robinson\u2019s study.<\/p>\n
An infection with Epstein-Barr virus does not necessarily cause symptoms, especially among children, though the virus is also the most common cause of mononucleosis (often referred to as mono).
\nIt’s primarily transmitted by saliva from kissing or sharing drinks, food, utensils or toothbrushes. After someone is infected, the virus lingers permanently in the body, where it usually remains inactive \u2014 though not always.<\/p>\n
The new study is not the first to tie Epstein-Barr to autoimmune issues. Past research has linked it to multiple sclerosis. Though not the sole trigger of MS, the virus may be part of a chain of events that leads to the disease.
\nRobinson said a pathway similar to the one described in his new study could also lead to other autoimmune diseases like rheumatoid arthritis and Crohn\u2019s disease, but more research is needed to tease that out.<\/p>\n
To determine the causal link between Epstein-Barr and lupus, Robinson and his co-authors focused on B cells \u2014 white blood cells that help fight off infections.
\nEven in healthy individuals, Epstein-Barr lies dormant in a tiny portion of B cells. But those virus-containing B cells are far more prevalent in lupus patients, who have a 25 times higher share of them, according to the new research.<\/p>\n
The study also highlights a type of protein called antinuclear antibodies, which bind to the nucleus of cells and are one of the hallmarks of lupus. The researchers found that Epstein-Barr infects and reprograms B cells to produce antinuclear antibodies that attack the body\u2019s own tissue, thereby causing lupus.<\/p>\n
The new research points to a few potential options for lupus treatment, according to Robinson, who is the co-founder of two drug development companies exploring treatments for autoimmune diseases.
\nMany of the current medications given to ease lupus symptoms, such as corticosteroids, broadly focus on reducing inflammation. Robinson said future therapeutics could specifically target B cells infected with Epstein-Barr.<\/p>\n
But an Epstein-Barr vaccine \u2014 several of which are in clinical trials \u2014 could someday stop infections in the first place.
\n\u201cVaccination to protect people against ever being infected by EBV would be the ultimate, fundamental solution,\u201d Robinson said.<\/p>\n
Q: What is lupus?
\nA: Lupus is an autoimmune disease with wide-ranging symptoms, including extreme fatigue, joint pain, and skin rashes.
\nQ: What is Epstein-Barr virus?
\nA: Epstein-Barr virus is one of the most common viruses in the world, acquired by 95% of people at some point in life.
\nQ: How is Epstein-Barr transmitted?
\nA: Epstein-Barr is primarily transmitted by saliva from kissing or sharing drinks, food, utensils or toothbrushes.
\nQ: Can an Epstein-Barr vaccine prevent lupus?
\nA: Yes, an Epstein-Barr vaccine could potentially prevent lupus by stopping infections in the first place.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Introduction to Lupus and Epstein-Barr Virus One of the most common viruses in the world could be the cause of lupus, an autoimmune disease with wide-ranging symptoms, according to a study published Wednesday. Until now, lupus was somewhat mysterious: No single root cause of the disease had been found, and there is no designated treatment […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":22530,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rank_math_lock_modified_date":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[22],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-22528","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-health-wellness"},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/media.nbcmiami.com\/2025\/11\/GettyImages-2238304780.jpg?quality=85&strip=all&fit=3817,3020&w=1920&resize=1920,1519&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/miami\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22528"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/miami\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/miami\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/miami\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/miami\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=22528"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/miami\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22528\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":22531,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/miami\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22528\/revisions\/22531"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/miami\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/22530"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/miami\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=22528"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/miami\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=22528"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/miami\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=22528"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}