EBNA1 antigen-specific CD8 + T cells in cerebrospinal fluid of patients with multiple sclerosis

•CD8 + T cells specific for one EBNA1-derived epitope (HPVGEADYFEY) were detected in blood and CSF of MS patients.•Their frequency did not differ significantly in blood nor CSF in MS compared to other inflammatory neurological diseases.•Frequency of HPVGEADYFEY-specific CD8 + T cells was consistently higher in CSF compared to blood regardless of diagnosis.

Epidemiological data suggests that Epstein-Barr virus may be involved in the pathogenesis of Multiple Sclerosis (MS). We aimed to determine the frequency of CD8 + T cells specific for one EBNA1-derived epitope (HPVGEADYFEY) in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and blood of patients with MS and other inflammatory neurological diseases (OIND). The frequency of specific CD8 + T cells was assessed by HLA-class-I-binding pentamers restricted to HLA-B35. The frequency of HPVGEADYFEY-specific CD8 + T cells did neither differ significantly in blood nor CSF in MS compared to OIND, but was consistently higher in CSF compared to blood regardless of diagnosis.