IgA antibodies to Epstein-Barr viral capsid antigens in saliva of nasopharyngeal carcinoma patients

Factors affecting serum IgA antibody to Epstein-Barr viral capsid antigens in nasopharyngeal carcinoma

“…In an earlier study of concentrated saliva from NPC patients, we reported that the IgA antibodies in the majority of these specimens lacked the secretory piece, and it was speculated that this might reflect their systemic origin (Ho et al, 1977). This is contrary to the results of similar studies by Desgrange and de who found that, in most instances, secretory pieces were associated with the IgA antibodies in the throat washings from NPC patients.…”

“…Moreover, EBV is a ubiquitous virus, such that all the healthy Chinese subjects which served as one of the control groups in our previous studies had serum IgG antibodies against VCA, but none had detectable IgA antibodies . IgA antibody against VCA was detected in the saliva from a majority of NPC patients, but not from healthy subjects or patients with other cancers (Ho et al, 1977). Desgrange and de The (1977) also reported similar findings and, as suggested by these authors, such antibodies might have interfered with the isolation of EBV from the throat washings of NPC patients.…”

“…This (Klein et al, 1974) which may be activated by treatment with halogenated nucleotides to synthesize EBV antigens and viral particles (Glaser et al, 1976;Trumper, Epstein and Giovanella, 1976). Local production of IgA anti-VCA may account for the high frequency of detection of these antibodies in saliva and throat washings from NPC patients (Ho et al, 1977;Desgranges and de The, 1977). Some of these locally produced antibodies might also be expected to reach the systemic circulation.…”

In vitro immune responses to PPD, extracts from Raji cells and nasopharyngeal carcinoma biopsies in NPC leucocytes

“…However, the peripheral leucocytes from NPC patients and control subjects responded similarly to PPD. These results are in general accord with the skin tests reported by Levine et al (1976) and Ho, Ng and Kwan (1977b). The antigenic specificity of the NPC-associated CMI responses remains, however, to be resolved, as the extracts used in these or in the in vivo CMI studies were heterogeneous mixtures.…”

“…This is made evident by: (1) NPC patients showing a different pattern of humoral immune responses to EBV antigens from that shown by control groups of non-NPC subjects (Henle et al, 1970;Henle et al, 1973;de Schryver et al, 1974;de-The et al, 1975;Ho et al, 1977b;Ng, Ho and Kwan, 1977) and (2) the persistent presence of EBV genomes and EBV nuclear antigen(s) in NPC cells (Desgranges et al, 1975;Huang et al, 1974;Wolf, Zur Hausen and Becker, 1973;Klein et al, 1974). The resident EBV genomes may be activated to synthesize early viral antigens and/or virus particles when NPC cells have been treated with IUdR and BUdR respectively (Glaser et al, 1976;Trumper, Epstein and Giovanella, 1976).…”