[Viral serology in ear diseases of presumably neuritic origin]

A viral etiology is often advanced to explain the origin of Bell's palsy, sudden deafness and certain vertigos. Virology findings were compared in 72 patients with either chicken pox, herpes, zona or other "viral" infections, where the viral origin was not absolutely clear, and a population of healthy volunteers. Results confirmed the indefinite viral nature of these affections. However, recent studies have shown that definite viral disorders are not always associated with an increase in antibody levels, and the intervention of a virus should not be totally discounted in some of these affections, especially as several particularly demonstrative cases have provided confirmation of a virus origin, particularly the Epstein-Barr virus.