Epstein-Barr virus serostatus: no difference despite aberrant patterns in athletes and control group

Area of Science:

• Immunology
• Virology
• Sports Medicine

Background:

• Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is a common human herpesvirus.
• EBV serostatus is used to determine past or present infection.
• Aberrant antibody patterns can complicate EBV diagnosis.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate EBV serostatus in endurance athletes.
• To determine the prevalence of complex aberrant EBV antibody patterns in athletes.
• To compare EBV serology complexity between athletes and the general population.

Main Methods:

• Serological testing of 202 endurance athletes and 200 control subjects.
• Used a strip immunoassay with recombinant antigens for EBV IgG antibodies.
• Employed avidity determination to differentiate infection stages.

Main Results:

• No significant difference in overall EBV serostatus constellation between athletes and controls (P = 0.144).
• Athletes had a slightly higher rate of recent infections.
• Aberrant past EBV antibody patterns, including anti-EBNA-1 negativity, were common in both groups.

Conclusions:

• Endurance athletes are not more susceptible to EBV infections than the general population.
• No significant differences in classical or aberrant EBV serological patterns were observed between groups.
• The Recomline EBV IgG test effectively resolved potentially misleading anti-EBNA-1 negative results.