 |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Cause Epstein Barr virus (EBV) was first discovered in 1964 in cell cultures from a Burkitt's lymphoma. EBV antibody was later demonstrated in the sera of nearly all patients with African Burkitt's lymphoma and nasopharyngeal carcinoma. EBV causes several acute infections in man, including (1) a mild, usually asymptomatic, infection in children, (2) an acute pharyngitis in 10 to 15 year olds, and (3) classical infectious mononucleosis (IM) in young adults. A Monospot test, which detects heterophile antibodies, is the most frequently ordered serological test to diagnose IM. Heterophile antibodies appear in the sera of 80% 90% of adolescents and young adults with classical IM, and in less than 50% of younger children. Since the majority of children have mild infections, they are less likely to develop heterophile antibodies. Classical cases can be diagnosed with the Monospot test. A more specific and sensitive test, such as EBV IgM antibody, may be needed to diagnose patients that fail to develop heterophile antibodies or exhibit unusual clinical features. During primary infection with EBV, antibodies develop to a wide variety of viral antigens. IgM antibodies to the viral capsid antigen (VCA) are the earliest antibodies to appear in the acute phase of the disease. IgM antibody becomes detectable during the first two weeks of infection, peaks after the first week of symptoms and remains detectable for 2 to 6 months. Reference value is a negative result. Specimen requirement is one SST tube of blood. |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||
