Serological Prevalence of Latent Epstein-Barr Virus Infection in Children and Adolescents

Background: Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV), first discovered in 1946, is one of the most common viruses, which found over the world causing latent infection or different undistinguishable symptoms ranged from mild to severe. This prevalence and age distribution of this latent infection varies significantly in different populations. Aim: Serological detection of anti-EBV IgG antibodies in children and adolescents using of the sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), and estimating the association of seropositivity to sex of study population. Materials and Methods: A total of 182 serum samples were obtained randomly from the study population that involved children (5-12 years old) and adolescents (13-17 years old) of both sexes in Sulaymaniyah province (Iraq) during January-February (2023). Results: Sera of an overall 29.12% study individuals were showed a serological positive reactivity to EBV-IgG antibodies. Significantly (P<0.0289), latent EBV was higher in adolescents (42.86%) than those observed in children (15.39%). Concerning the association of seropositivity to sex of study population, there was a significant increase (P<0.0224) in prevalence of anti-EBV-IgG antibodies among females (42.47%) than males (20.18%). Also, females were appeared significantly (P<0.0001) at higher risk of infection (2.104) than males (0.475). Conclusion: The seroprevalence of latent EBV infection in female adolescent was higher than male children; however, additional investigations using of serological as well as molecular assays are of great importance to demonstrate the extent of infection and to define the full spectrum of EBV-associated diseases.