A Longitudinal Comparison of Antibodies to Epstein-Barr Virus and Clinical Parameters in Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia and Chronic Myelocytic Leukemia

Abstract

Abstract Elevated titers to the Epstein-Barr virus have previously been reported in a number of lymphoproliferative diseases, including Burkitt’s lymphoma, infectious mononucleosis, and Hodgkin’s disease. This study also demonstrates a significantly higher titer against EBV in a group of patients with chronic lymphoproliferative disease (CLL) than in a group of patients with chronic myeloproliferative disease (CML) or normal individuals. No significant antibody changes were detected in the 20 CML patients or 23 of the 24 CLL patients who were followed for a period of time up to 5 yr. It appears that the elevated EBV titers seen in patients with CLL reflect an event or process occurring prior to the onset of disease or in the very early stages rather than a nonspecific rise paralleling the increase in total-body lymphocytes.