Brain-eating virus infects up to 90 percent

A common virus, human polyomavirus 2 (JC virus), estimated to infect up to 90% of people, can lie dormant for life but may activate and cause a fatal brain disease called progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML). Researchers have identified a potential new activation pathway linked to chronic kidney disease, affecting a significant portion of the adult population. Previously thought to require severe immune suppression, PML cases are now being observed in individuals with less compromised immune systems, expanding the scope of concern for this devastating neurological condition.