Anti-EBV antibodies: Roles in diagnosis, pathogenesis, and antiviral therapy

Chu Xie1, Lan-Yi Zhong1, Guo-Long Bu1

  • 1State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma Diagnosis and Therapy, Department of Experimental Research, Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China.

Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infection is prevalent in global population and associated with multiple malignancies and autoimmune diseases. During the infection, EBV-harbored or infected cell-expressing antigen could elicit a variety of antibodies with significant role in viral host response and pathogenesis. These antibodies have been extensively evaluated and found to be valuable in predicting disease diagnosis and prognosis, exploring disease mechanisms, and developing antiviral agents. In this review, we discuss the versatile roles of EBV antibodies as important biomarkers for EBV-related diseases, potential driving factors of autoimmunity, and promising therapeutic agents for viral infection and pathogenesis.