COMPARATIVE STUDY OF SPECIFIC EBV ANTIBODIES BETWEEN CHILDREN MANIFEST CLASSIC TRIAD OF MONONUCLEOSIS WIT UNAFFECTED CHILDREN IN HAZRAT RASOOL AKRAM HOSPITAL (1998-2000)

Abstract

Epstein barr virus (EBV) is one of seven known herpes virus pathogenic for humans.Since it is ubiquitous, it infects nearly 95% of individuals worldwide by adulthood .EBV is the etiologic agent of infectious mononucleosis(IM)and is implicated in burkitt lymphoma,nasopharyngeal carcinoma and x-linked lymphoproliferative syndrome.Diagnosis of IM based upon clinical manifesta¬tions in conjunction with hematologic evidence for lymphocytosis;and serologi¬cal changes such as heterophil antibody and or antibodies to EBV specific pro¬teins.
The purpose of this study was to determine the frequency of acute and chronic infections by examining the levels of antibodies against viral capsid ( VCA-IgG and VCA-IgM) and Epstein Barr nuclear antibody (EBNA-IgG) in the serum of children with IM syndrome (patient group) and the serum of unaffected children (control group). This longitudinal case-control study was performed on thirty one children between 1 to 14 years old who were admitted to the pediatric ward of Rasool Akram hospital; based on diagnostic parameters for IM within two years( 1998-2000). Fortheen patients were eliminated due to other diagnosis .The average age of remaining 17 patients was 6.9+3.3, male/female ratio= 9/8.The results of this study showed a significant difference (p 0.038)between the amount of EBNA-IgG but no significant difference in the amount of VCA-IgG,VCA-IgM between case and control groups. .There is no difference between case and con¬trol groups in negative values for VCA- IgM ,VCA -IgG and EBNA-IgG.