Such mechanisms could potentially explain i) higher EBV viral loads in serum of patients with SLE and RA, ii) increased expression of LMP-1 and BZLF-1 in the blood of patients with SLE, iii) a possible detection of EBV in the inflamed organs of RA and MS and iv) a secondary increased humoral and cellular response against EBV (as detailed in section 2.4, section 2.5, section 2.1 and section 2.3). This evidence concerns the gene PDLIM7 and rheumatoid arthritis.