Dr. George Ebers of the University of Oxford and his colleagues found mononucleosis and the effects of exposure to less intense sunlight together explained 72 per cent of the variance in MS prevalence across England.

The study in Tuesday’s issue of the journal Neurology also showed the intensity of ultraviolet B exposure, a type of radiation from the sun, alone explained 61 per cent of the difference in MS cases between those living in northern and southern parts of the country.

“When our data are taken in combination with others, it gives confidence that there is a pressing need to investigate the role of vitamin D and [infectious mononucleosis] and their interaction in the pathogenesis of MS,” Read more