Laboratory Diagnosis Of Epstein-Barr Virus As An Agent Of Acute Febrile Illness

Abstract

The use of Epstein-Barr-viral capsid antigen indirect fluorescent antibody test for infectious mononucleosis was used to study the role of the EBV in acute febrile illness of unknown etiology. Six of twenty-eight sera tested showed a four-fold rise in titer from the acute to the convalescent serum which is diagnostic evidence of EBV infection. These data suggest that EBV may play a significant role in the etiology of undiagnosed acute febrile illness and they support the thesis that testing for EB-virus is important when attempting laboratory diagnosis of acute viral disease of unknown origin.