Types of Epstein-Barr tests?

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The Epstein-Barr test is most often done when symptoms of infectious mononucleosis occur. The test includes a blood test, which includes an antibody test and a mononucleosis spot test. An individual whose antibody test returns a positive result is diagnosed based on this result. If a blood test during the Epstein-Barr test produces a negative result, but physical symptoms are still present, further antibody tests are ordered to determine whether a person carries the virus and any other secondary infections associated with its presence in the body.

Without the Epstein-Barr test, most people don’t know they have been infected with a virus. This is because the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is a herpes viral infection, which lies dormant in a person’s body and becomes active only after a secondary infection, such as mononucleosis, occurs. Symptoms of infectious mononucleosis include extreme tiredness, sore throat, fever, and swollen lymph nodes. In some people, however, an enlarged liver or spleen can also occur, which can present very dangerous complications of EBV and can even be life-threatening if one of these organs ruptures due to swelling.

When symptoms are present, but a blood draw comes back negative for infection, further tests are needed to determine whether a secondary infection is triggering EBV instead. Additional Epstein-Barr tests compare antibodies such as EBV nuclear antigen, capsid antigen, and early antigen. Each of these specific antibody tests are designed to tell whether a person has just been infected, has been infected for a longer period, or has a secondary infection that has reactivated the virus. Healthcare experts recommend that additional tests like this be administered by a physician experienced in infectious diseases and, in particular, experienced with Epstein-Barr tests because the interpretation of each of these additional tests can be difficult to understand.

Several types of Epstein-Barr tests are used only to identify the presence of EBV and any other pathogens that could trigger it. Other than identifying the precise diseases involved, doctors are unable to treat or cure EBV. Treating the physical symptoms of any concurrent viral infection is all that can be done for a person’s well-being until the symptoms of a secondary infection have run their natural course. However, several types of Epstein-Barr tests are still important. The tests help identify the presence of the virus, as well as any subsequent infections, so doctors are alerted to the possibility of future EBV complications.

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