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Epstein-Barr Virus Antibodies in Whole Blood Spots: A Minimally Invasive Method for Assessing an Aspect of Cell-Mediated Immunity

From the Department of Anthropology (T.W.McD.), Northwestern University, Evanston, IL; Department of Anthropology (J.F.S., C.M.W.), Emory University, Atlanta, GA; Center for Developmental Epidemiology (A.A., E.J.C.), Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC; Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences (M.B.), Arizona State University West, Phoenix, AZ; Department of Psychology (J.T.C.), University of Chicago, Chicago, IL; and Department of Molecular Virology, Immunology and Medical Genetics (R.G.), Ohio State University Medical Center, Columbus, OH.

Address reprint requests to: Thomas W. McDade, PhD, Northwestern University, Department of Anthropology, 1810 Hinman Ave, Evanston, IL 60208. Email: t-mcdade{at}nwu.edu

OBJECTIVE: Study 1: Introduce and validate a method for measuring EBV p18-VCA antibodies in whole blood spots to provide a minimally invasive marker of cell-mediated immune function. Study 2: Apply this method to a large community-based study of psychopathology in children and adolescents.

METHODS: The EBV antibody method was evaluated through analysis of precision, reliability, stability, and comparisons with plasma and indirect immunofluorescence methods. The effects of life events on p18-VCA antibody level were considered in a subsample of 9, 11, and 13 year-old children participating in the Great Smoky Mountains Study in North Carolina. The subsample was stratified by age, sex, and degree of overall life strain.

RESULTS: Dried blood spots provided a convenient, sensitive, precise, and reliable method for measuring EBV p18-VCA antibody titer. Life events were positively associated with p18-VCA antibodies in girls but not in boys.

CONCLUSIONS: The validity of the blood spot EBV p18-VCA antibody assay, as well as the ease of sample collection, storage, and transportation, may provide an opportunity for psychoneuroimmunology to explore a wider range of stress models in larger, community-based studies.

Key Words: psychoneuroimmunology • cell-mediated immunity • stress • methods • lifeevents • sex difference

Abbreviations: EBV = Epstein-Barr virus; VCA = viral capsid antigen; IgG = immunoglobulin G; IF = indirect immunofluorescence; ELISA = enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay; CV = coefficientof variation; GSMS = Great Smoky Mountains Study; CAPA =Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Assessment.

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