Anti-EBNA 1 IgA ELISA Kit

AND EXPLANATION OF THE TEST Detection of the Epstein-Barr virus was first described in 1964 by Epstein, Achong, and Barr using electron microscopic studies of cultured lymphoblasts derived from patients with Burkitt’s lymphoma. EBV is classified as a member of the herpes-virus family based upon it’s characteristic morphology. EBV infection may demonstrate a wide spectrum of clinical symptoms. The majority of primary EBV infections are transmitted via saliva, occur during childhood, and are subclinical. In the U.S., 50% of the population demonstrate EBV antibodies before the age of 5 years; 80% by adulthood. Transfusion-associated EBV infections have also been reported. In young adults, EBV infection may be clinically manifested as Infectious Mononucleosis (IM) with typical symptoms of sore throat, fever, and lymphadenopathy. College students and military personnel are often cited as a high morbidity incidence population for IM. Infection of the target cells leads to two forms of viral cycles: 1) latent, nonproductive and 2) productive, replicative infections. In both cycles, one of the earliest antigens expressed is lymphocyte-detected membrane antigen, a cellsurface antigen recognized by T-cells. It has been well established that most individuals exposed to EBV develop a heterophile antibody response. Expression of EBNA-1 either follows or parallels membrane antigen at 12 to 24 hours post infection. EBNA-1 is found as nonstructural, intranuclear antigen(s), present in all EBV-transformed cell lines as in tumors from Burkitt’s and nasopharyngeal carcinoma patients. In the fully productive, replicative cycle, the synthesis of antigen follows EBNA-1. The viral capsid antigen complex (VCA) appears late in the replicative cycle. It has recently become apparent that EBNA-1 is probably not a single antigenic moiety, but a multicomponent antigen complex, on the basis of reactivities of sera from different classes of patients. The major component EBNA-1 has been purified and sequenced in its entirety.