Am J Psychiatry 1986; 143:1593-1596
Copyright © 1986 by American Psychiatric Association
Serum antibodies to Epstein-Barr virus in patients with major depressive disorder
JD Amsterdam, W Henle, A Winokur, OM Wolkowitz, D Pickar and SM Paul
To determine whether major depressive disorder might be associated with
serologic evidence for a chronic active Epstein-Barr virus infection,
viral-specific antibodies were measured in two separate groups of depressed
patients (N=43) and in 46 appropriately matched healthy volunteers. No
evidence that depression affects cellular immunity to the point that a
persistent Epstein-Barr virus carrier state becomes activated was found.
There was also no evidence that depression results from an unrecognized
chronic active Epstein-Barr virus infection. The authors conclude that the
routine clinical determination of expensive commercial Epstein-Barr virus
antibody profiles is not indicated in most patients with major depressive
disorder in the absence of other signs of chronic active Epstein-Barr viral
infection.
