title: IgM antibodies specific for Epstein-Barr virus in infectious mononucleosis without heterophil antibodies.
abstract: IgM antibodies specific for Epstein-Barr (E.B.) virus were demonstrable in all but one out of 46 patients diagnosed as having infectious mononucleosis wihout heterophil antibodies; cytomegalovirus aetiology was excluded. In all but two cases the highest titre was found in the first sample. In 21 patients a significant decrease was seen within a few weeks. IgG antibodies to E.B. virus, mostly remaining at a constant level, were demonstrable in all cases. IgM antibodies to E.B. virus were found in only five out of 300 controls.The results suggest that in a disease similar to infectious mononucleosis without heterophil antibodies testing of transient E.B. virus-specific IgM antibodies makes a rapid aetiological diagnosis possible and that in clinically well-defined cases viruses other than E.B. virus and cytomegalovirus are unlikely to be causal agents.
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000372:Agglutination Tests; D000818:Animals; D000910:Antibodies, Heterophile / Q000302:isolation & purification; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D002417:Cattle; D002460:Cell Line; D003587:Cytomegalovirus / Q000302:isolation & purification; D004912:Erythrocytes; D005260:Female; D005455:Fluorescent Antibody Technique; D006168:Guinea Pigs; D004854:Herpesvirus 4, Human / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D006736:Horses; D006801:Humans; D007075:Immunoglobulin M / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D007244:Infectious Mononucleosis / Q000382:microbiology*; D008722:Methods; D008856:Microscopy, Fluorescence; D012756:Sheep
chemical_list: D000910:Antibodies, Heterophile; D000914:Antibodies, Viral; D007075:Immunoglobulin M