Frequency of myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein antibody in multiple sclerosis: A multicenter cross-sectional study.

Objective: To address the frequency of myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein (MOG) antibody (Ab) in an unselected large cohort of adults with MS.

Methods: This is a cross-sectional study in 2 MS expert centers (Lyon and Strasbourg University Hospitals, France) between December 1, 2017, and June 31, 2018. Patients aged ≥18 years with a definite diagnosis of MS according to 2010 McDonald criteria were tested for MOG-Ab by using a cell-based assay (CBA) in Lyon and subsequently included. Positive samples were tested by investigators blinded to the first result with a second assay in a different laboratory (Barcelona, Spain) by using the same plasmid and secondary Ab.

Results: Serum samples from 685 consecutive patients with MS were analyzed for MOG-Ab. Median disease duration at sampling was 11.5 (interquartile range, 5.8-17.7) years, and 72% were women. Two (0.3%) patients resulted to be MOG-Ab-positive. The 2 patients were women aged 42 and 38 at disease onset and were diagnosed with secondary and primary progressive forms of MS, respectively. This positive result was confirmed by the CBA in Barcelona.

Conclusion: Our findings indicate that MOG-Ab are exceptional in MS phenotype, suggesting that the MOG-Ab testing should not be performed in typical MS presentation.