Antibodies to expanded virus antigen panels show elevated diagnostic sensitivities in multiple sclerosis and optic neuritis

•Multiple sclerosis and optic neuritis are associated with a wide range of viruses.•Optimized and expanded antigen panels show increased diagnostic sensitivities.•High correlation between specific IgGs in serum and cerebrospinal fluid. An antigen panel consisting of Epstein-Barr, measles, mumps, varicella zoster and rubella viruses (EMMRZ) was recently presented, which may aid in the diagnosis of multiple sclerosis (MS). The aim of this study was to validate and extend the EMMRZ panel. Various candidates, such as Cytomegalovirus and John Cunningham virus were analysed in relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS) and optic neuritis (ON) samples by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. IgG levels were elevated in RRMS samples and correlations were found between serum and cerebrospinal fluid levels. Cohort-dependent optimized panels were obtained for RRMS and ON, which obtained the highest sensitivity when combined with the status of oligoclonal bands.