Current trends in multiple sclerosis research.

Byron Waksman discusses existing evidence which suggests that MS occurs in genetically predisposed individuals manifesting defects in immune regulation. It appears to be triggered by viral infection and to be virus or autoimmune in nature. Abnormalities in circulating immunoregulatory cells are very well correlated with disease activity. Animal models closely resembling MS also involve chronic virus or autoimmune disease in animals with a genetically determined abnormality of immune regulation.