Epidemiological studies of Epstein–Barr herpesvirus infection in Western Australia

Abstract

SUMMARYIn a study on a Caucasian population in Western Australia the prevalence of antibodies to Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) was 41 % in the 9-to 10-year age group, 80 % in the 16 to 19-year age group and 92 % in young adults. The age-specific annual seroconversion rates indicated two peaks of primary EBV infection in the population studied -one under 5 years of age and the other at adolescence. The geometric mean titre rose with age, from 23 at 5-6 years to 53 at 36-40 years.It was shown that in 73 families studied there was evidence of probable spread of EBV infection among siblings, particularly between those of the same sex.Serological study of patients with infectious mononucleosis indicated that 100 % of those examined had antibody to EBV and the geometric mean titre was elevated to 210. Rising titres and seroconversion was demonstrated in these patients together with successful establishment of EBV-carrying cell lines from the peripheral blood in two-thirds of the cases.

A Study of Risk Factors for Acquisition of Epstein‐Barr Virus and Its Subtypes

“…Previous smaller studies of the association between the presence of siblings and EBV seroconversion have not distinguished between type 1 and type 2 and have produced conflicting results: several found no association [9,11,36], whereas one found increased seroprevalence among subjects with siblings [38]. The confinement of our results to type 1 infection suggests a greater susceptibility to sibling transmission of this type.…”

Immunohistochemical Analysis and Epstein-Barr Virus in the Tonsils of Transplant Recipients and Healthy Controls

“…These findings are consistent with classic epidemiological data on EBV infection reporting that approximately 40% of the 8-to 10-year-old patients were seropositive for EBV. 13 The mean age of the control subjects in this study was 6 years; therefore, lower rates of seropositivity are to be expected. Four of the 60 transplant recipients demonstrated latent infection but significantly more demonstrated active EBV infection.…”

Prevalence of Epstein–Barr virus in Japan: Trends and future prediction

“…The positivity rate is much higher among children in Asia than those in Western countries, and in developing countries than in developed communities 1–4 . The seropositivity of 5–9‐year‐old children exceeds 90% in east Asia (5–6‐year‐old Japanese children: 100% in 1968; 5 6–9‐year‐old Indonesian children, 96% in 1970; 6 7‐year‐old children in Taipei, 91.8% in 1984; 7 8‐year‐old children in Hong Kong, 95% in the years of 1990–1993; 4 5–9‐year‐old Singaporean children, 91% in 1975, 3 while the positivity rate remains around 50% in Western countries (USA, 17–18 years old, 26–38% in 1970; 8 England, 5–9 years old, 45% in 1995–1996; 9 France, 5–9 years old, 65% in 1975; 3 Denmark, 6–8 years old, 60%; 10 Australia, 7–8 years old, 38% in 1969–1972 11 ) with a few exceptions (South Italy, 5–7 years old, 80.2% in 1993 12 and Faroe Island in Denmark, 8 years old, 85% in 1977 13 ). A high positivity rate is observed in Mexico (5–9 years old, 93.5% in 1968 14 ) and in some African countries 15 .…”