Seroprevalence of EBV in children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia

Abstract

Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) accounts for about 25 percent of all childhood cancers and 75–85 % of all childhood leukemias. Thirty six children with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia were tested for antibodies to Epstein-Barr (EBV) virus with age ranged (2-12) years (20 males and 16 females) attending pediatric central hospital, oncology-hematology department .Thirty children with age ranged (2-12) years were regarded as control group. The two groups undergo Epstein-Barr virus antibodies assays (EBV-EAIgG, IgM, EBV-VCAIgG, and IgM) by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The samples analysis was observed that the percentage of VCA-IgG (44.4%), VCA IgM (2.7%), EA IgG (27.7%) and EA IgM (2.7%) were higher than control group. The mean values of EBV (VCA IgG) in ALL group increase significantly when compared with control group, while no significant difference between ALL and control in the mean values of VCA IgM. There was a significant increase in the mean of EA IgG in ALL than in control group, whereas, no significant differences were noticed in EA IgM between two groups. These results clearly indicated that provide a working hypothesis and some facts on which further investigations of etiology of ALL be planned.