Radioimmunoprecipitation in the diagnosis of chronic active Epstein-Barr virus infection

Chronic active Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infection occurs sporadically in a small fraction of individuals infected with EBV. A clear definition of the disease and an unambiguous diagnostic test are still lacking. In an attempt to identify a serologic marker to facilitate the diagnosis, immunoblot and radioimmunoprecipitation assay (RIPA) were compared with standard immunofluorescence on 39 available sera. Results by RIPA revealed that antibodies to a 120 kDa viral protein correlated with the presence of chronic active EBV infection; these antibodies were not detected in sera from other EBV-seropositive individuals, with the exception of one of two patients with ataxia telangiectasia. Also, RIPA was the most sensitive technique for detecting EBV antibodies in sera weakly or doubtfully positive for antibody to EB viral capsid antigen by indirect immunofluorescence. All these sera had antibodies to the 150 kDa protein, also known as p160, the major viral capsid antigen.