You're likely already infected with a brain-eating virus you've never heard of
Ars Technica • • health
Key Points:
- The human polyomavirus 2, or JC virus, infects up to 90% of people worldwide and remains dormant in the body for life, but if activated, it can cause progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML), a severe brain disease.
- PML involves the virus attacking brain cells and myelin sheaths, leading to nerve cell damage and symptoms that can mimic stroke or multiple sclerosis, and it was historically fatal in immunocompromised patients, especially those with HIV/AIDS before effective treatments.
- Traditionally, PML has been linked to profound immune suppression, but a new case study reports PML in a patient with chronic kidney disease (CKD), suggesting CKD-related immune impairment may also trigger
