Epstein-Barr virus-specific antibodies in Epstein-Barr virus-positive and -negative gastric carcinoma cases in Japan

✍ Scribed by Shinkura, R.; Yamamoto, N.; Koriyama, C.; Shinmura, Y.; Eizuru, Y.; Tokunaga, M.

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 2000
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 144 KB
• Volume: 60
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0146-6615
• DOI: 10.1002/(sici)1096-9071(200004)60:4<411::aid-jmv8>3.0.co;2-8

✦ Synopsis

We examined Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-specific antibodies in serum samples from 64 and 59 patients with EBV-positive and -negative gastric carcinomas, respectively, and 73 healthy controls using immunofluorescence assays. EBV capsid antigen (VCA) IgG and EBV-determined nuclear antigen (EBNA) IgG were detected in all 196 subjects. The geometric mean titer (GMT) of VCA-IgG, but not EBNA-IgG, was higher in EBVpositive carcinoma cases than in EBV-negative carcinoma cases (P < 0.001). The seroprevalence rates of VCA-IgA and EBV early antigen (EA) IgG were higher in EBV-positive carcinoma cases than in EBV-negative carcinoma cases. Odds ratios (ORs) comparing seroprevalence rates between EBV-positive and -negative carcinoma cases were 3.4 (95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.3-8.8) and 6.6 (95% CI = 2.7-16.3) for VCA-IgA and EA-IgG, respectively. These results suggest that EBV reactivation occurs in vivo, since more than 90% of Japanese are infected with EBV in early childhood. The GMT of VCA-IgG in EBVnegative carcinoma cases was higher than that of healthy controls (P = 0.028). The seroprevalence rates of EA-IgG were greater in EBVnegative carcinoma cases than in healthy controls (OR = 4.9, 95% CI = 1.2-19.7). VCA-IgA was the only antibody that showed a significantly high seroprevalence and GMT in EBV-positive carcinoma cases, but not in EBV-negative carcinoma cases. Thus, VCA-IgA can be a marker of immune response to EBV in EBV-positive carcinoma cases. Our findings support the hypothesis that if EBV is involved in the development of EBV-positive gastric carcinoma, the EBV reactivation occurs in vivo.