A group from the United Kingdom has identified a link between multiple sclerosis and a toxin frequently found in ovine, more commonly referred to as sheep.

The team led by Dr. Sariqa Wagley from the College of Life and Environmental Sciences at the University of Exeter found indications of the clostridium perfringens epsilon toxin associated with multiple sclerosis.

Clostidium perfingens is a bacterium found in the guts of animals, commonly in sheep. The toxin crosses the gut lining and can build up in kidneys and brain.

The sheep and multiple sclerosis connection had been reported in a single case in the United States by Dr. Kareem Rashid Rumah from the Tri-Institutional M.D.-Ph.D. Program of Weill Cornell Medical College at Rockefeller University and Memorial Sloan Kettering Hospital in New York.

Neither group was the first to express concern that exposure to sheep toxins may contribute to the expression of multiple sclerosis.

The Lancet wrote about the link between consumption of sheep brains and multiple sclerosis in 1972. In 1986, a group from Australia failed to find antibodies to the epsilon neurotoxin, but did find actual evidence of the sheep disease producing the toxin in humans.

The Australian group suggested examining the prevalence of multiple sclerosis among vegetarians as a means to explore the contribution of consuming sheep to the rate of multiple sclerosis.

The diets of those with and without a diagnosis of multiple sclerosis were reviewed by a group from Iran. They found that diets high in low-fat dairy products, red meat, vegetable oil, onion, whole grain, soy, refined grains, organ meats, coffee and legumes were inversely related to the risk of multiple sclerosis. A different diet pattern; high in nuts, fruits, French fries, coffee, sweets and desserts, vegetables, high-fat dairy products, leafy green vegetables, hydrogenated fats, tomato, yellow vegetables, fruit juices, onion, and other vegetables was also inversely related to risk of multiple sclerosis.

However, a diet high in animal fats, potato, meat products, sugars, and hydrogenated fats and low in whole grains was found to be associated with a risk of multiple sclerosis.

It is hypothesized that toxins initiate an autoimmune response and then a cascade of events that lead to the demylination of axons. These are the main features of multiple sclerosis.

The recent study had found that 43 percent of those having multiple sclerosis had antibodies specifically related to the epsilon toxin, compared to only 16 percent of the general population.

One of the researchers working with Dr. Wagley was Dr. Rick Titball, and he commented, "Our research suggests that there is a link between epsilon toxin and MS. The causes of MS are still not fully understood and, while it's possible that this toxin plays a role, it's too early to say for certain."

While the relationship of ovine pathology to expression of multiple sclerosis remains unclear, the most recent reports are offering hope that further study will lead to a better understanding of the disease and thus potential treatments or even prevention.