The EBV (Epstein Barr) Nuclear Antigen Antibodies, IgG test looks for a type of antibody which the body typically develops in response to Epstein-Barr Virus.
EBNA antibodies usually appear 2-4 months after infection and persist for the life of the person. This test is usually performed to establish a past infection with EBV.
Epstein-Barr Virus is one of the most common viruses with as many as 95% of the people in the US having been exposed by the age of 40.
In many people the virus causes no symptoms. Those infected during adolescence or young adulthood may develop Infectious Mononucleosis (Mono).
Common symptoms of Mono include fatigue, fever, sore throat, swollen lymph glands, and sometimes an enlarged spleen or liver.
Additional complications affecting the heart or nervous system may occur but are rare. Symptoms of Mono typically clear up after a couple months but EBV will remain dormant in the body for the rest of a person’s life. Periodic reactivation of the virus may occur but usually does not cause symptoms or illness.
EBV is normally spread through contact with an infected person’s saliva. Some people remain capable of transmitting the virus throughout their lives.
The presence of antibodies to EBNA means that the infection occurred in the past. Antibodies to EBNA develop six to eight weeks after the time of infection and are present for life.
The test has 3 components:
– viral capsid antigen (VCA) IgG,
– VCA IgM,
– and Epstein-Barr nuclear antigen (EBNA).
Presence of VCA IgM antibodies indicates recent primary infection with Epstein-Barr virus (EBV). The presence of VCA IgG antibodies indicates infection sometime in the past. Antibodies to EBNA develop 6 to 8 weeks after primary infection and are detectable for life. Over 90% of the normal adult population has IgG class antibodies to VCA and EBNA. Few patients who have been infected with EBV will fail to develop antibodies to the EBNA (approximately 5%-10%).
References:
Possible Results | |||
VCA IgG | VCA IgM | EBNA IgG | Interpretation |
– | – | – | No previous exposure |
+ | + | – | Recent infection |
+ | – | – | See note* |
*Results indicate infection with EBV at some time (VCA IgG positive). However, the time of the infection cannot be predicted (ie, recent or past) since antibodies to EBNA usually develop after primary infection (recent) or, alternatively, approximately 5% to 10% of patients with EBV never develop antibodies to EBNA (past).
Understand and improve your laboratory results with our health dashboard.
Upload your lab reports and get your interpretation today.
Our technology helps to understand, combine, track, organize, and act on your medical lab test results.
The presence of antibodies to EBNA means that the infection occurred in the past. Antibodies to EBNA develop six to eight weeks after the time of infection and are present for life.
Possible Results | |||
VCA IgG | VCA IgM | EBNA IgG | Interpretation |
+ | – | + | Past infection |
+ | + | + | Past infection |
Interpret Your Lab Results
Upload your lab report, and we'll interpret and provide you with recommendations today.
Get StartedOur specialized data entry service is designed to seamlessly integrate your laboratory results into your private dashboard. Just send in your lab test results—whether it's an image or a file—and our skilled data entry team will handle the rest. We accommodate various file formats like PDFs, JPGs, and Excel.
The first report is complimentary. After that, the data entry service is priced at $15 per report, unless it's part of your subscribed plan. It's an ideal solution whether you have numerous reports to upload or if your schedule doesn't permit self-data entry.
We strive to make the data entry process easy for you. Whether by offering dozens of templates to choose from that pre-populate the most popular laboratory panels or by giving you instant feedback on the entered values. Our data entry forms are an easy, fast, and convenient way to enter the reports yourself. There is no limit on how many lab reports you can upload.
Personal plans
track personal results
Professional Plan
track multiple client's results
$15/month
$250/once
own it for life
$45/month
for health professionals
Personal Account
$15/month
for personal lab results
$250/once
own it for life
Level up your lab report analysis with our Pro plan, built for health practitioners like you.
Health Business Account
$45/month
Unlock additional Pro plans when you sign up.
At HealthMatters, we're committed to maintaining the security and confidentiality of your personal information. We've put industry-leading security standards in place to help protect against the loss, misuse, or alteration of the information under our control. We use procedural, physical, and electronic security methods designed to prevent unauthorized people from getting access to this information. Our internal code of conduct adds additional privacy protection. All data is backed up multiple times a day and encrypted using SSL certificates. See our Privacy Policy for more details.
EBNA Ab/IgG, EBV Ab VCA, IgG, EBV Ab VCA, IgM, EBV CAPSID Ag.ab/IgG, EBV CAPSID Ag.Ab/IgM, EBV EA IgG, EBV EARLY Ag.Ab, EBV Early Antigen Ab, IgG, EBV Nuclear Ag Ab, EBV Nuclear Antigen Ab, IgG, EBV PCR Whole Blood LOG, EBV PCR, Quant, Whole Blood, EBV VCA, IgG, EBV VCA, IgM, Epstein Barr Virus (EBNA) AB (IGG), Epstein Barr Virus EBNA IgG MFI, Epstein Barr Virus VCA AB (IGG), Epstein Barr Virus VCA AB (IGM), Epstein Barr Virus VCA IgG MFI, Monospot Heterophile antibody