Incidence of antibodies to Epstein-Barr virus in patients with lymphoproliferative diseases

ABSTRACT

Epstein-Barr virus [EBV] antibody prevalence and titers were determined in 17 patients with Burkitt's lymphoma [BL], 12 patients with Hodgkin's disease [HD], 48 patients with acute lymphocytic leukemia [ALL], 28 patients with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma [NHL], seven patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia [CLL] and 112 healthy controls. The patients showed increased incidence of high antibody titers to viral capsid antigen [VCA] and EBV early antigen [EA]. There were no significant differences in the prevalence of antibodies to capsid antigen in patients [90%] and in control [86%], but the geometric means of antibody to VCA and to EA were 2.5 to five fold higher in patients than in the control group. The results reflect the high incidence of EBV infection in Jordan