Detection of IgG and IgA antibodies to Epstein-Barr virus membrane antigen in sera from patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma and from normal individuals.

IgG and IgA antibodies to Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) membrane antigen (MA) were detected in sera from 96 NPC patients and normal individuals by the indirect immunofluorescence test. For MA/IgG antibody, 100% of NPC patients were positive with a GMT of 1:439.7 and 97.9% of normal individuals were positive with a GMT of 1:94.7. In contrast, for MA/IgA antibody, 58.3% of NPC patients were positive with a GMT of 1:7.3 and none of the normal individuals were positive. There was no difference in the detection of antibodies to EBV MA when other P3HR-1 or B95-8 cell lines, differing in their major membrane antigen, were used.