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Updated: Jul 16, 2026
Separation of Immune Cell Subpopulations in Peripheral Blood Samples from Children with Infectious Mononucleosis
Published on: September 7, 2022
Serum beta-2 microglobulin as a diagnostic biomarker for pediatric Epstein-Barr virus infections: a retrospective
Sheng Cheng1, Jingjing Pan1, Bing Wang1
1Department of Pediatrics, Affiliated Hospital 6 of Nantong University, Yancheng Third People's Hospital, Yancheng, Jiangsu, China.
Objective:
This study aims to evaluate serum beta-2 microglobulin (β2M) as a diagnostic biomarker for acute primary Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infection in children, Additionally, serum vitamin D3 levels were compared between EBV-infected children and children with viral upper respiratory tract infection to explore their potential clinical relevance.
Methods:
A total of 129 children with acute primary EBV infection were identified as the EBV group, while 130 children with viral upper respiratory tract infections in the same age group hospitalized during the same period were identified as the control group. The age, gender, and laboratory indicators of the two groups were analyzed and compared. Pearson's correlation was used to analyze the correlation between β2M and serum EBV-DNA concentration. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was drawn, and the threshold and area under the curve (AUC) of β2M for predicting the diagnosis of EBV infection were calculated.
Results:
The white blood cell count, serum lactate dehydrogenase, and alanine aminotransferase levels in the EBV group were significantly than those in the control group (P < 0.0001), and Serum β2M level were significantly higher in the EBV group than in the control group (P < 0.001), while serum vitamin D3 levels were significantly lower (P < 0.001). Pearson's correlation analysis showed a positive correlation between serum β2M levels and serum EBV-DNA load (r = 0.469, P < 0.01). ROC curve analysis revealed that the AUC of serum β2M for diagnosing EBV infection was 0.907 (95% confidence interval 0.8723-0.9412; P < 0.01), with an optimal threshold of 3.3 mg/L, a specificity of 62.1%, and a sensitivity of 90.8%.
Conclusion:
The serum β2M levels are significantly increased in the stage of primary EBV infection in children, and β2M appears to be a promising biomarker for predicting primary EBV infection. The serum vitamin D3 levels are significantly reduced in children with primary EBV infection, and the protective effect of vitamin D supplementation in those children warrants additional clinical exploration.
