Seroreactivity against lytic, latent and possible cross-reactive EBV antigens appears on average 10 years before MS induced preclinical neuroaxonal damage.

Seroreactivity against latent and lytic EBV antigens, and in a subset ANO2, was detectable on average a decade before the appearance of a gradually increasing axonal injury occurring in the last decade before the onset of clinical MS. These findings strengthen the hypothesis of latent EBV involvement in the pathogenesis of MS.