Laboratory-confirmed Epstein-Barr virus-positive infectious mononucleosis (EBV-mono) was linked to a more than threefold higher risk for multiple sclerosis (MS) than not having EBV-mono, a new retrospective study showed.

“Mononucleosis is a relatively uncommon illness, but developing strategies to prevent infection with the virus that causes this disease could help us to lower the number of MS cases in the future,” lead study investigator Jennifer L. St. Sauver, PhD, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, said in a press release.

Epstein-Barr virus-positive infectious mononucleosis (EBV-mono) is associated with a threefold higher multiple sclerosis risk than not having EBV-mono, new research shows.