Epstein-Barr virus seroreactivity among unaffected individuals within high-risk nasopharyngeal carcinoma families in Taiwan.
Most adults have been infected with EBV. Many studies have indicated that antibodies against specific EBV antigens, particularly IgA antibodies, can be predictive or prognostic of EBV-associated malignancies, such as NPC. We hypothesized that healthy individuals from families with a history of multiple members affected with NPC (who therefore might be genetically susceptible to NPC themselves) might have an EBV antibody profile that is distinct from that seen in healthy individuals from the community at large. To explore this possibility and examine determinants of anti-EBV antibody levels in healthy, high-risk individuals, we evaluated data from 2 parallel studies of NPC in Taiwan, which included 1,229 healthy members of families in which 2 or more individuals were affected with NPC and 320 controls from the community at large. Blood collected from participants was tested for IgA antibodies against EBV VCA and EBNA-1 and for neutralizing antibodies against EBV DNase using standard assays. We observed evidence of familial aggregation of EBV seroreactivity among individuals from high-risk, multiplex NPC families. Anti-VCA IgA and anti-EBNA-1 IgA antibody seroprevalence in unaffected family members of NPC cases was 5-6 times higher than in members of the community (p < 0.01). This elevated seroprevalence among unaffected individuals from high-risk families was observed regardless of the relationship of the unaffected individual to the closest affected relative (siblings, parents, children or spouses). No sociodemographic or environmental factors examined were found to strongly and consistently correlate with elevated seroprevalence, but patterns emerged of increasing seroprevalence among older individuals and among females. Unaffected individuals from high-risk NPC families have elevated anti-EBV IgA antibody titers. The etiologic and clinical implications of this finding remain to be established.
Pickard
Amy
A
Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA.
Chen
Chien-Jen
CJ
Diehl
Scott R
SR
Liu
Mei-Ying
MY
Cheng
Yu-Juen
YJ
Hsu
Wan-Lun
WL
Sun
Brenda
B
Hsu
Mow-Ming
MM
Chen
I-How
IH
Chen
Jen-Yang
JY
Yang
Czau-Siung
CS
Mittl
Beth L
BL
Chou
Sheng-Ping
SP
Ruggles
Deborah D
DD
Goldstein
Alisa M
AM
Hildesheim
Allan
A
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000032:analysis*; D002277:Carcinoma / Q000235:genetics / Q000821:virology*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D020031:Epstein-Barr Virus Infections / Q000276:immunology*; D005260:Female; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease; D006801:Humans; D007070:Immunoglobulin A / Q000032:analysis*; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009303:Nasopharyngeal Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics / Q000821:virology*; D010375:Pedigree; D012307:Risk Factors; D016036:Seroepidemiologic Studies; D013624:Taiwan
D000914:Antibodies, Viral; D007070:Immunoglobulin A