Coronavirus-induced CNS disease: A model for virus-induced demyelination

There are circumstantial data to support the suggestion that viruses cause human demyelinating disease. Measles virus and the closely related paramyxovirus canine distemper have been implicated by epidemiological studies showing an association of antibodies to these viruses with MS but insufficient evidence is available to establish a causal link. It is precisely these difficulties in establishing a causal relationship between viruses and MS that has led the authors and other to focus on well-established animal models of CNS disease. Using such models, factors such as the age, genetic background and immune status of the host and the strain, dose and route of inoculation of the infecting virus can be controlled and manipulated.