Sensitive method to detect non‐complement‐fixing antibodies to Epstein‐Barr virus nuclear antigen

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Abstract
The anti‐complement immunofluorescence (ACIF) test was modified to detect non‐complement‐fixing antibodies to Epstein‐Barr (EB) virus nuclear antigen (EBNA). These EBNA antibodies belong to the immunoglobulin classes IgA and IgG. In our method anti‐human γ‐globulin (AHG) was bound to the EBNA antibodies before the complement was added. If only non‐complement‐fixing antibodies are present the complement can be fixed to the AHG. Within only a few weeks of the onset of infectious mononucleosis (IM) the non‐complement‐fixing EBNA antibodies reach high titers while the complement‐fixing antibodies (detected by the ACIF test) are not yet present. Anti‐EBNA‐IgM antibodies were not found in the IgM fractions of sera taken at different stages of IM.

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