Failure to Demonstrate Concomitant Antibody Changes to Viral Antigens Other than Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV) During or After Infectious Mononucleosis

A search for antibody rises to viral antigens other than to Epstein-Barr virus, the causative agent, has been carried out in serial serum samples from 82 patients with infectious mononucleosis (IM). Fourfold or greater rises in titer rarely occurred and did not cluster in time. No rises occurred to cytomegalovirus, only 1.2 percent to herpes simplex virus, and 8.5 percent to varicella zoster virus. Rises to measles antibody were found in 7.5 percent of patients and to rubella in 10.4 percent; these may represent natural infections or immunizations. A few patients also showed rises to respiratory viruses but there was no apparent connection to IM. Acute infectious mononucleosis (IM) is accompanied by the appearance of a wide variety of humoral antibodies in addition to those directed against the causative agent, Epstein-Barr virus (EBV). These include: (1) heterophile antibodies, (2) cold-reacting antibodies, (3) antibodies to Newcastle disease virus (NDV) treated human red cells, and (4) autoantibodies (anti-muscle, anti-nuclear, anti-lymphocyte, rheumatoid factor, etc.) [1-2]. The current study was carried out to determine if changes in antibody titers to herpes viruses other than EBV, or to other viral antigens, occurred during or after acute infectious mononucleosis (IM), such as that seen in immuno-suppressed renal transplant patients [3]. Such changes might result either from reactivation of latent agents accompanying the profound changes of immunoregulation in acute IM [4-8] or from vigorous polyclonal expansion of the B cell population [9] due in part, at least, to their infection and transformation by EBV. To determine possible changes in humoral antibody levels, we carried out tests with 12 viral antigens on serial samples from cases of infectious mononucleosis. MATERIALS AND METHOD