Pak J Med Sci 2012 Vol. 28 No. 2 www.pjms.com.pk 263 1. Fereshteh Ashtari, MD, Associate Professor of Neurology, 2. Farzad Fatehi, MD, Assistant Professor of Neurology, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. 3. Mojtaba Akbari, Epidemiologist, 4. Shermineh Ghalamkari, MBA, ITM Research Centre, Isfahan University, Isfahan, Iran. 1, 3: Isfahan Neuroscience Research Centre, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran. Correspondence: Fereshteh Ashtari, MD, Associate Professor of Neurology, Isfahan Neuroscience Research Centre, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Neurology Department, Kashani MS Centre, Kashani Street, Isfahan, Iran. E-mail: f_ashtari@med.mui.ac.ir * Received for Publication: January 18, 2012 * 1 st Revision Received: February 15, 2012 * 2 nd Revision Received February 24, 2012 * Final Revision Accepted: February 27, 2012 Original Article Cytomegalovirus Seroposivity in Iranian Multiple Sclerosis: A randomized case-control study Fereshteh Ashtari 1 , Farzad Fatehi 2 , Mojtaba Akbari 3 , Shermineh Ghalamkari 4 ABSTRACT Objective: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an infammatory demyelinating disease of central nervous system. Environmental factors such as different viruses have proposed to be involved in the pathogenesis of multiple sclerosis (MS). This study was aimed to evaluate Cytomegalovirus (CMV) seropositivity in Iranian patients suffering from MS compared to controls. Methodology: This case control study was conducted in Isfahan. Using ELISA method, IgM and IgG antibodies to Cytomegalovirus (CMV) in MS patients and age and sex matched controls were detected. CMV IgM titer higher than 25 and CMV IgG titer higher than 0.6 were regarded as seropositive according to laboratory Kit. Results: Total 82 MS patients (64 females and 18 males) and 38 controls (29 females and 9 males) were included (P>0.05). The median [IQR] titer of CMV IgM in MS group was 3.25[2.97- 5.1] versus 3.5[2.5-5.7] in control group (p=0.66); likewise, the median [IQR] titer of CMV IgG in MS patients was 15.15 [8.1-22.5] versus 7.75[5.3-22] in control group (p=0.011). According clinical course median of IgG was 14.94[7.3-24] in RRMS and 20.0[9.8-22] in SPMS and median of IgM was 4.0[2.9-6.5] and 3.0[2.7-4.0] respectively. Conclusion: Seropositivity of CMV was higher in MS patients than controls, therefore, it may have a possible role in MS pathogenesis, but further studies are needed to evaluate this result. KEY WORDS: Multiple Sclerosis, CMV, ELISA. Pak J Med Sci January - March 2012 (Part-II) Vol. 28 No. 2 263-266 How to cite this article: Ashtari F, Fatehi F, Akbari M, Ghalamkari S. Cytomegalovirus Seroposivity in Iranian Multiple Sclerosis: A randomized case-control study. Pak J Med Sci 2012;28(2):263-266 INTRODUCTION Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is an infammatory demyelinating disease of the Central Nervous System (CNS), in which, the precise etiology is not known and genetic and environmental factors fail to completely explain its pathogenesis. 1-3 For a long time, an environmental agent has been proposed as an important factor in MS pathogenesis. Among putative environmental risk factors, numerous infectious agents, both viral and bacterial, such as herpes viruses have been suggested as being involved in the etiology of multiple sclerosis. Role of infection as a risk factor has supported by abnormal immunological fnding that found in spinal fuid 4 but so far no agent has been consistently associated with the disease. Many studies have linked infectious mononucleosis with MS 5-8 furthermore, an inordinate number of other