Posted on 04/17/2018 5:09:38 AM PDT by Tilted Irish Kilt
A far-reaching study conducted by scientists at Cincinnati Children's reports that the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)—best known for causing mononucleosis—also increases the risks for some people of developing seven other major diseases.
Those diseases are: systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), multiple sclerosis (MS), rheumatoid arthritis (RA), juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA), inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), celiac disease, and type 1 diabetes.
Combined, these seven diseases affect nearly 8 million people in the U.S.
Overall, the study sheds new light on how environmental factors, such as viral or bacterial infections, poor diet, pollution or other hazardous exposures,
can interact with the human genetic blueprint and have disease-influencing consequences.
The full impact of this study could take years to explore.
(Excerpt) Read more at medicalxpress.com ...
"This discovery is probably fundamental enough that it will spur many other scientists around the world to reconsider this virus in these disorders," Harley says.
"As a consequence, and assuming that others can replicate our findings, that could lead to therapies, ways of prevention, and ways of anticipating disease that don't now exist.
"So far, no vaccine exists that will prevent EBV. infection.".. (emphasis mine)
The EBV virus invades the B cells themselves, re-programs them, and takes over control of their functions.
The Cincinnati Children's research team has discovered a new clue about how the virus does this, a process that involves tiny proteins called transcription factors.
Our bodies have about 1,600 known transcription factors at work within our genome.
Each cell uses a subset of these to become what they are and to respond to their environment.
These proteins constantly move along the strands of our DNA, turning specific genes on and off to make sure cells function as expected.
Also a certain subtype of Non Hodgkin Lymphoma, forgetting which.
Interesting. I’m surprised they haven’t found this discovery before now. I remember driving home with mom from the doctor’s office at around 10 years old after having been diagnosed with “Mono” and I felt anxiety because I knew my suspicious mother was thinking I must have been kissing boys (of course I had not) but when she told me you get it through kissing I was pretty confused. My daughter also contracted it and with her it took a long time to resolve.
I think we are in a new age of discovery of how different viri may affect us in the long term,
much less the fact that they can affect the genome of our immune system
and may impact even our children.
As stated in the article, this is only the beginning of the study involving genome, DNA, RNA, and virus interaction.
Wow! Interesting!
My daughter was diagnosed with mono in December. She was so sick and they couldn’t figure out exactly what was wrong. She had raging fevers, rashes and terrible fatigue. Evidently, mono is a lot trickier to deal with in adults(she’s 47) but she’s finally pretty much back to her old self. Due to the fevers, she’s been losing her hair which is just one more crisis she’s had to deal with but the dr. assures her it’s temporary.
This is all fine and good, but:
-by 5 years old 1/2 of all people will have had mono
-and by 27 the percentage goes up to 90%
Sounds like life causes these conditions.
Thanks for the ping.
Glad she’s doing much better! Biotin supplement will help for the hair growth. I’m trying to remember the words my daughter’s pediatrician said so long ago, something to the effect of on rare occasions the virus never fully goes away and can flare up again in the future. So I guess once we get it some become carriers. Am I using that term correctly? Mono is something I don’t hear too much about anymore but I’m surprised there has been no vaccine put out by now. I do wonder if people diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome are carriers of the virus. I don’t remember feeling too sick when I had it as a kid. Maybe a week or two of tired and flu-ish feeling. But I was diagnosed with CFS 10 years ago.
You can also contract EBV from kissing girls.
Well, us grade school girls were huggy and played with each other’s hair but there was no kissing, that would have been “gross” lol. But yeah, even a drunk aunt or uncle giving sloppy kisses could be the culprit. The air kissing way of the French is much more hygienic.
"In less-developed nations, 90 percent of people become infected by age 2.
Once infected, the virus remains in people for their entire lives."
Further in the report :
"Over the years, scientists have linked EBV to a few other rare conditions, including certain cancers of the lymphatic system.
Harley, who has devoted much of his career to studying lupus, found possible connections between lupus and EBV years ago.
That work includes proposing mechanisms that the immune system uses in response to the virus that lead to lupus,
and showing that children with lupus almost always are infected with EBV."(emphasis mine)
Since once someone has Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) and "it appears that components made by the virus interact with human DNA in the places where the genetic risk of disease is increased," Harley says.
"And not just for lupus, but all these other diseases, too."
My Hypothesis:
Therefore, is it possible that parents can pass on this DNA adjusted immune response onto their children also through family genetics ?
Since one of the transmission sources is exchange of saliva (ie.:"kissing disease"), this represents a communicable disease
with opportunity of new infections with family, friends, and physically intimate friends.
There is a reason why some genetic disorders are passed on in successive generations of a family,
and this study of the interaction of viri with DNA and immune system dynamics could well explain why certain diseases are passed on to succeeding generations.
That is my preferred way.
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