Scientists Find Connection Between Epstein-Barr and Lupus

On its own, Epstein-Barr virus is a fairly widespread illness that leaves infected people with a mild set of symptoms. Where things get more severe is when you factor in the virus’s propensity for leaving some people who’ve had it with a higher risk of developing certain types of cancer. That isn’t the only ailment that Epstein-Barr has a connection to, however. According to a paper published in Science Translational Medicine this month, it also has a confirmed link to lupus.

The paper’s authors note Epstein-Barr virus “has been epidemiologically associated with [Systemic lupus erythematosus], yet its role in pathogenesis remains incompletely defined.” This group of scientists, who are associated with Stanford Medicine, sought to find a formal connection between the two conditions, answering a longstanding medical mystery.

How major of a discovery is it that lupus and Epstein-Barr are connected? One of the study’s authors, William Robinson, MD, PhD, called it “the single most impactful finding to emerge from my lab in my entire career.”

As Stanford Medicine’s Bruce Goldman explained, Dr. Robinson and his colleagues found that the presence of Epstein-Barr virus in the body can cause certain types of immune cells — known as B cells — to overreact and begin triggering other immune cells. The result is an autoimmune condition — lupus — that winds up harming the body.

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The next question: can it be replicated on a larger scale?

With the publication of this paper, these findings may lead future researchers to explore other facets of the relationship between Epstein-Barr and other autoimmune conditions, Goldman reports. There is also another question left unanswered by these findings: Even though huge swaths of people have Epstein-Barr virus dormant in their bodies, the vast majority of them do not develop lupus. Learning why will require more research and could lead to a healthier future.

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Tobias Carroll

Tobias Carroll lives and writes in New York City, and has been covering a wide variety of subjects — including (but not limited to) books, soccer and drinks — for many years. His writing has been published by the likes of the Los Angeles Times, Pitchfork, Literary Hub, Vulture, Punch, the New York Times and Men’s Journal. At InsideHook, he has…