An elevated immunoglobulin G (IgG) index and the presence of oligoclonal bands (OCB) in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) are a hallmark of multiple sclerosis (MS) [
1,
2]. Although this finding is not specific for MS, 72 % percent of patients present with an elevated IgG index and even 98 % show an oligoclonal distribution of IgG bands exclusively in the CSF [
3,
4]. Intrathecal IgG is thought to be the product of B lymphocytes residing in the brain of MS patients after they have crossed the blood brain barrier in an activated state with the help of various co-stimulatory signals [
5]. Instead of undergoing apoptosis, the B cells expand clonally within the central nervous system (CNS) giving rise to a persistent antibody production [
6]. Despite intense investigations, no single antigen against which the antibodies might be directed has been isolated so far. In contrast, the intrathecal antibody response covers a large number of CNS and non-CNS antigens as well as various pathogens [
7‐
14], including the viral antigens such as measles, rubella and varicella zoster [
15]. In up to 96 % of MS patients an intrathecal antibody production against at least one of the three antigens has been found [
3,
16]. Little is known, however, about the clinical significance of these findings. Previous studies attempting to evaluate the long-term evolution of intrathecal viral antibodies were hampered by technical shortcomings such as few sensitive detection methods and an absence of correction for blood-CSF-barrier disturbance [
17,
18]. Hence, the findings of these preliminary studies were partially contradictory with regard to the stability of the CSF antibody production [
17,
18]. Furthermore, no correlation to the clinical course could be demonstrated [
17,
18]. Here we report the results of a follow-up study on 70 MS patients from which at least two CSF analyses including cell count, IgG index, local IgG synthesis, antibody specific index and oligoclonal bands were available. The clinical implications of the immunological findings are discussed.