Frequent intrathecal production of antibodies to the viral capsid antigen of Epstein-Barr virus in patients with central nervous system post-transplant lymphoproliferative disorder

Carolin Otto; Helena Radbruch; Diana Wilken; Tatjana Lietzow; Katja Steinhagen; Evelin Grage-Griebenow; Ann-Christin von Brünneck; Sven Jarius; Jörg Hofmann; Florence Pache; Klemens Ruprecht

doi:10.1016/j.jneuroim.2022.577902

Frequent intrathecal production of antibodies to the viral capsid antigen of Epstein-Barr virus in patients with central nervous system post-transplant lymphoproliferative disorder

J Neuroimmunol. 2022 Aug 15:369:577902. doi: 10.1016/j.jneuroim.2022.577902. Epub 2022 Jun 2.

Affiliations

¹ Department of Neurology, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany. Electronic address: carolin.otto@charite.de.
² Department of Neuropathology, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
³ Euroimmun AG, Lübeck, Germany.
⁴ Department of Pathology, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
⁵ Molecular Neuroimmunology Group, Department of Neurology, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany.
⁶ Labor Berlin Charité-Vivantes GmbH, Berlin, Germany; Institute for Virology, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
⁷ Department of Neurology, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
⁸ Department of Neurology, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany. Electronic address: klemens.ruprecht@charite.de.

PMID: 35689981
DOI: 10.1016/j.jneuroim.2022.577902

Abstract

Primary central nervous system post-transplant lymphoproliferative disorder (PCNS-PTLD) is strongly associated with Epstein-Barr virus (EBV). We analysed intrathecal production of EBV viral capsid antigen (VCA) immunoglobulin (Ig)G and IgA and Epstein-Barr nuclear antigen-1 (EBNA-1) IgG in nine patients with PNCS-PTLD and 20 patients with non-inflammatory neurological diseases (NINDs). Intrathecally produced VCA-IgG was detected in 7/9 (78%), VCA-IgA in 6/9 (67%) and EBNA-1-IgG in 2/9 (22%) patients with PCNS-PTLD, but not in NINDs. This exploratory study suggests that intrathecal EBV antibody production might be frequent in PCNS-PTLD. Detecting intrathecally produced VCA-IgG and VCA-IgA could thus potentially be helpful for diagnosing PCNS-PTLD.

Keywords: Antibody index; Central nervous system; Cerebrospinal fluid; Epstein-Barr virus, viral capsid antigen; Post-transplant lymphoproliferative disorder.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Antibodies, Viral
Antigens, Viral
Capsid
Capsid Proteins
Central Nervous System
Epstein-Barr Virus Infections* / complications
Herpesvirus 4, Human
Humans
Immunoglobulin A
Immunoglobulin G
Lymphoproliferative Disorders* / complications

Substances

Antibodies, Viral
Antigens, Viral
Capsid Proteins
Immunoglobulin A
Immunoglobulin G