This Is How To Read Epstein Bar Virus Test Results

Do you have ongoing fatigue and are you trying to understand how it might relate to Epstein-Barr virus? In this video we're going to look at how to read Epstein-Barr virus test results. We'll look at what some of the positive antibodies mean, how to understand this in the context of your symptoms, and we'll look at some case studies that will help you better understand what might be going on with your Epstein-Barr virus test results.
So in this video, we're going to look at how to read Epstein-Barr virus test results. First, Epstein-Barr virus test results typically involve several different measurements of antibodies. These measurements provide us information about the current activity of the virus in the body at the time of the blood draw. The antibody-based test is the most commonly used, so that's what we're going to focus on here in terms of reading Epstein-Barr virus test results.

Now, because there are several different antibodies that can be tested and that are usually included in this test, confusion often arises, even amongst doctors, as to what they actually mean. So in this video on how to read Epstein-Barr test results, I'll show you hypothetical results and how you might look at them. We'll also look at a simple way to understand them in a more nuanced way to look at and understand the results.

Epstein-Barr virus antibody tests measure the level of antibodies to the virus in the blood. If you've been infected with the Epstein-Barr virus, your body will produce different amounts of antibodies and different antibodies at different time intervals as an infection progresses. In addition, each one of those antibodies can remain in your body for different time intervals, sometimes months, sometimes years. And there is variance among individuals on how long each of these antibodies might stay in your body, and that's part of the confusion with interpreting the results as well.
So the antibody tests generally measure an IgM and an IgG antibody. A positive result for IgM is almost always indicative of a current Epstein-Barr virus infection, meaning you have it right now or you are on the edge of getting over it, maybe in the next month, maybe two months.

On the other hand, a positive IgG test result without the corresponding positive IgM is usually associated with a past or previous infection of Epstein-Barr.

So that's the simple version of how to look at it. Now in looking at all the different types of IgG antibodies, that's where some of the confusion arises because some of them can actually indicate a reemergence of the virus before you actually see the IgM antibody. Or sometimes you won't even see the IgM antibody at all.

So now I'm going to show you some hypothetical results here and then we'll discuss what some of the indicators are of these IgG antibody levels.

So in looking at how to read Epstein-Barr test results, it's important to look at some hypothetical examples here. And this one, I thought illustrated a more simplistic result that you might find. Where there's clearly something going on with the Epstein-Barr virus in this person. Anytime the IgM is positive, that's always going to be an indicator of something current going on with that virus, whether it's a recent infection going on and they're actively going through symptoms, or it's on its tail end.

Sometimes you'll even see this with a positive result like this with someone that's had Epstein-Barr virus in the past, and they're going through a new wave of a reemergence of that virus. The replication of that virus needs to be suppressed so the immune system can get it in check. So you'll see on this that it's stated as "equivocal," and that's because it didn't reach the actual threshold for being positive, which is 1.1.

But even a 1.0 or "equivocal" result is an indicator of a reemergence of that virus from its dormancy or a new infection. Now, the presence of the early antigen D being positive like that also indicates the new activity of that virus because the early antigen D is an early sign of infection or reactivation of the Epstein-Barr virus.

So if you didn't have this, it would be less of an indicator of a current infection. But the presence of this alone could also be, even with this being negative, could also be an indicator. You always have to understand what's going on in the context of the person to really get the most out of these tests.