title: Correlation between Epstein-Barr Virus Infection and Disease Activity of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus: a Cross-Sectional Study
abstract: Background: Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is an autoimmune disease for whose pathogenesis viral infections
  are important. The Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is the main infectious etiological agent. This study aimed to quantitative
  evaluation of EBV in SLE patients. Materials and Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 40 patients with SLE diagnosed
  based on American College of Rheumatology criteria were selected using purposive sampling. All were included in the
  study after obtaining informed consent for participation. Whole blood samples were taken and buffy coat preparations
  were isolated to determine viral load using the real-time polymerase chain reaction method and assessment with the SLE
  disease activity index (SLE-DAI). Results: From a total of 40 patients, 37 cases (92.5%) were women. The EBV test
  was positive in 67.5% and mean viral load was 5396 ± 1891.9 copy/ml. Twenty of forty patients had active and 50%
  inactive disease, mean EBV viral loads being 6798 and 28.25 copy/ml, respectively (P-value = 0.003). In terms of the
  severity of disease activity, 17.5 % of female patients had mild to moderate activity, whilst 32.5% of them had severe
  activity, with respective viral loads of 5,803.3 and 29.73 copy/ml (P-value = 0.003). Conclusion: The Epstein-Barr
  viral load in SLE patients with active disease was found to be markedly higher than in inactive cases. Thus, EBV may
  have an important role in the pathogenesis and activity of SLE.
authors.affiliation: Autoimmune Diseases Research Center, Kashan University of Medical Sciences, Kashan, Iran. Email: clinicalpathobiology@gmail.com
authors.forename: Ahmad
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Piroozmand
authors.forename: Hamed
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Haddad Kashani
authors.forename: Batool
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Zamani
keywords: Epstein; Barr virus; viral load; systemic lupus erythematosus; real-time PCR; human; infection