Elevated levels of antibody to myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein is not specific for patients with multiple sclerosis.

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Abstract
MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS (MS) is an acquired and chronic white matter disease of presumed autoimmune pathogenesis. Results of pathologic studies1-4 of the disease and of the animal model—experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis—emphasize mainly a T-cell basis for an inflammatory reaction of demyelinating plaques. However, beyond the well-known intrathecal overproduction of immunoglobulins in patients with MS,5 there is also clear evidence of humoral immune activity in these plaques.6,7 Results of previous studies8-10 of the frequency of antibodies against myelin oligodendrocyte antigens, such as myelin basic protein (MBP) and galactocerebrosidase in serum and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), show that elevated titers of these antibodies are not specific for MS. This raises the dilemma of whether these antibodies are deleterious or play a defensive role against further autoimmune attack after myelin breakdown.11

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