Abteilung Rehabilitative und Präventive Sportmedizin, Medizinische Universitätsklinik, Freiburg, Germany.
J Med Virol. 2012 Sep;84(9):1415-22. doi: 10.1002/jmv.23253.
Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) serology continues to be the first diagnostic test when infectious mononucleosis is suspected. Due to possible mild immunosuppression in competitive athletes, EBV reactivation determined by increases in salivary viral load have been identified as one possible cause in recurrent respiratory infections. The long-term variation in EBV antibody levels in athletes compared to a control group remains unclear. The purpose of the study was to investigate the time course of changes in concentration of EBV antibodies in athletes with special emphasis on antibodies against early antigens (EAs) and avidity determination. During a competition season of approximately 12 months, the serological status of 15 biathletes (age 27 ± 3 years, 7 female, 8 male, international to Olympic level) was compared with 11 controls (age 23 ± 1 years; 1 female 10 male) at multiple time points. In addition, 43 healthy swimmers (age 22 ± 4 years, 18 female, 25 male, national to international level) were tested to validate the results with only two time points interspersed by approximately 6 months of intensive physical exercise. Analysis of quantitative antibody intensity bands revealed stable values during a competition season. In particular, IgG-antibodies against EAs may persist and were found in 15% of past infections in swimmers exhibiting fluctuations in concentration after 6 months. These results provide evidence that positive Anti-EA-IgG may persist in healthy athletes and thus, should not be used to diagnose EBV reactivations or to identify a compromised immune function.
EB 病毒（EBV）血清学检测仍然是疑诊传染性单核细胞增多症的首选诊断试验。由于竞技运动员可能存在轻度免疫抑制，因此，唾液病毒载量增加提示 EBV 再激活，可能是反复呼吸道感染的原因之一。与对照组相比，运动员 EBV 抗体水平的长期变化尚不清楚。本研究的目的是探讨运动员 EBV 抗体浓度变化的时间过程，特别强调早期抗原（EA）抗体和亲和性测定。在大约 12 个月的比赛季节中，15 名冬季两项运动员（年龄 27±3 岁，7 名女性，8 名男性，国际级至奥运级）的血清学状态与 11 名对照组（年龄 23±1 岁；1 名女性，10 名男性）在多个时间点进行了比较。此外，还对 43 名健康游泳运动员（年龄 22±4 岁，18 名女性，25 名男性，国家级至国际级）进行了测试，仅在大约 6 个月的强化体育锻炼之间的两个时间点进行测试，以验证结果。定量抗体强度带分析显示，在比赛季节中抗体浓度保持稳定。特别是，针对 EA 的 IgG 抗体可能持续存在，在游泳运动员中，有 15%的既往感染在 6 个月后出现浓度波动。这些结果表明，健康运动员体内可能存在持续的阳性抗-EA-IgG，因此，不应将其用于诊断 EBV 再激活或识别免疫功能受损。
