Fleisher G, Henle W, Henle G, Lennette E T, Biggar R J
J Infect Dis. 1979 May;139(5):553-8. doi: 10.1093/infdis/139.5.553.
Previous studies in Ghana had shown that primary infections with Epstein-Barr virus in infants under the age of two years remain silent and evoke antibody responses different from those seen in infectious mononucleosis. In order to determine whether or not these observations were limited to Africa, 80 American infants presenting with minor infectious complaints were studied serologically; 14 (17.5%) showed evidence of recent or current primary infections with Epstein-Barr virus. The clinical features of these 14 infants were similar to those of the other 66 and did not suggest a diagnosis of infectious mononucleosis, nor were there histories of a recent infectious mononucleosis-like illness. Ten (72%) had antibodies to the early antigen complex induced by Epstein-Barr virus; however, these antibodies were directed, as in the Ghanaian infants, against the restricted rather than the diffuse components, in contrast to the pattern generally observed in infectious mononucleosis. Possible reasons for the differences between the responses of infants and those of older individuals to primary infection with Epstein-Barr virus and to the early antigen complex are discussed.
加纳此前的研究表明，两岁以下婴儿初次感染爱泼斯坦-巴尔病毒后并无明显症状，且引发的抗体反应与传染性单核细胞增多症患者不同。为了确定这些观察结果是否仅限于非洲地区，对80名有轻微感染症状的美国婴儿进行了血清学研究；其中14名（17.5%）显示有近期或正在发生的爱泼斯坦-巴尔病毒初次感染迹象。这14名婴儿的临床特征与其他66名婴儿相似，并不提示传染性单核细胞增多症的诊断，也没有近期传染性单核细胞增多症样疾病的病史。10名（72%）婴儿有针对爱泼斯坦-巴尔病毒诱导的早期抗原复合物的抗体；然而，与传染性单核细胞增多症中通常观察到的模式不同，这些抗体如同在加纳婴儿中一样，是针对受限成分而非弥散成分。文中讨论了婴儿与年长个体对爱泼斯坦-巴尔病毒初次感染及早期抗原复合物反应不同的可能原因。
