EBV-IgA and new heterophile antibody tests in diagnosis of infectious mononucleosis.

An evaluation has been made of the EBV-IgA tests and the immune adherence hemagglutination assay (IAHA) as compared with standard diagnostic procedures in 119 serial sera from 22 clinical and 113 sera from 42 subclinical cases of EBV infectious mononucleosis. EBV-IgA antibody was demonstrable in 86.4 per cent of patients using EB3 cells as antigen and in 68.2 per cent with P3/HRIK cells. For heterophile antibody the IAHA test was more sensitive, gave higher titers, and was positive longer than the standard absorbed horse or sheep RBC tests in both clinical and subclinical EBV infections.