Epstein-barr virus-specific antibodies in patients with adult T-cell leukemia (ATL) and healthy ATL virus-carriers

✍ Scribed by Joko Imai; Yorio Hinuma

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 1983
• Tongue: French
• Weight: 402 KB
• Volume: 31
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0020-7136
• DOI: 10.1002/ijc.2910310210

✦ Synopsis

Abstract

Antibodies to Epstein‐Barr virus (EBV)‐capsid antigen (VCA), early antigen (EA) and EBV‐associated nuclear antigen (EBNA) in the sera of 103 patients with adult T‐cell leukemia (ATL) and the sera of 243 age‐ and sex‐matched healthy adults, namely 99 anti‐ATLA‐positive (antibodies to ATL virus‐associated antigen) and 144 anti‐ATLA‐negative individuals, were determined by indirect immunofluorescence. The anti‐VCA titers in the sera from ATL patients were within the range observed in healthy controls. Anti‐EA was found in 27% of the sera from ATL patients, but in only 8% of the sera from anti‐ATLA‐negative healthy controls. Antibodies to EBNA, which were present in almost all healthy adults, were not found in 30% of the sera from ATL patients. Of the sera of anti‐ATLA‐positive healthy adult donors 11% were negative for EBNA antibody. These results suggest that functional impairment of the T‐cell system in most ATL patients, and also to a lesser extent in anti‐ATLA‐positive adults who might be healthy ATLV‐carriers, may cause an unusual immune response of antibodies to EBV‐associated antigens.