An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for the measurement of human IgA antibody responses to Epstein-Barr virus membrane antigen.

An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) which uses a recombinant truncated form of the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) membrane antigen gp350/250 has been developed and used to measure human IgA antibody responses to that antigen. From comparisons with conventional immunofluorescence assays (IFA) for measuring IgA antibody responses to EBV viral capsid antigens, the ELISA shows comparable specificity and is approximately 4-fold more sensitive. Since IgA antibodies to EBV indicate a high risk of developing nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC), the described ELISA, which is more sensitive and objective than IFA, has potential for use in the diagnosis of NPC and for large-scale screening to identify individuals at risk for the development of this disease.