I don't doubt it. I believe that that's what triggered MS in me. I had Mono at 18, then Chicken Pox at 24, then Bells Palsy right after I was dx with MS at 45. Sheese.....I would have been convinced with just one of them......

I had mononucleosis (Epstein-Barr virus) in 1996, and about a year or so later, started getting vertigo several times a year. I think the vertigo was my first MS symptom. I didnt get diagnosed until 2007. I thought the vertigo was from ear infections.

I'd be willing to bet that the mono is what triggered or activated the MS in my system. (I think a dental issue is what's been behind most of my exacerbations since 2006)

When I had my second opinion for the MS, they did an EBV titer on me. It was positive, so I know for sure that I had mono. (when I had mono, they misdiagnosed me at first...even tho I'd been told by my aunt, a nurse practitioner, that I should ask for a mono spot test. They refused until I had a reaction to the antibiotics they'd given me...mono and penicillin based abx's dont like each other)

Can people have mono without knowing it?
And is chicken pox a possible trigger? It is a nasty virus...I had chicken pox when I was 29 and 4 wks. pregnant. It was a bad case...lots of pox and terrible pain.
MS is such a weird disease...

yeah, I think if it's a mild case of mono, you might think you just have a really bad cold or a flu of some sort.

But, when I had mono, there was no mistaking it for a cold. I was sick for weeks. Took me nearly a year to recover. I never did feel as good as I'd felt before then. I'm pretty sure all my problems started when I got mono.

Mild mono can be confused with the flu. Mine was severe and lasted months. I was out of work and slept 20 out of 24 hours. It took me a year to recover.

I have no idea how I got chicken pox but I gave them to my 2 year old son at the time. I was very sick....had sores all over my body including on my head. I thought Mono was bad.....it was nothing compared to having Chicken Pox as an adult.

I believe that these two illnesses set me up for MS later in my life. I've had MS sx dating all the way back to 1987 when I was pregnant with my 2nd child. My first disabling "attack" was in 2003. Second disabling attack in 2005. I was dx in 2005.

Those who've never had Mono or EBV illnesses but are dx with MS.....I wonder what triggered their disease?

I'm repeating myself here, but, I say it's the Herpes 6 (?) virus, who's the culprit... It is the cause of all those illnesses...EB. Mono, Chicken Pox, Shingles...etc...

I'll bet, if they find a way to do away with that virus, most of, not all of MS would be eradicated.

Mono, MS and Shingles for me. The trifecta!
Do I win anything? Oh yeah, progressive disability and atrophy of the brain and spinal cord.

I'm feeling lucky, maybe I'll play the lottery.

My PCP told me that "almost everybody" has a positive EBV. I'm going to do a little research on that.

From the CDC:

"Epstein-Barr virus, frequently referred to as EBV, is a member of the herpesvirus family and one of the most common human viruses. The virus occurs worldwide, and most people become infected with EBV sometime during their lives. In the United States, as many as 95% of adults between 35 and 40 years of age have been infected"

http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/diseases/ebv.htm

I don't know whether or not I had mono, but the Epstein-Barr test results were astronomical when they drew blood. I am not surprised that this does show up in people with MS. One of the major triggers I get is a total meltdown where I can't do anything for days before I get enough energy again to be up and about.