posted
I got a copy of my LLMD results and my EBV Ab VCA Igg titre from lab corp is 2972 with positive being over 120. My IgM is negative (20 lab range 0-99 for negative).
Does anyone know what this means? I don't recall having mono. I know lyme can reactivate viral infections but I am not sure I have many mono symptoms other than some fatigue. Does anyone else here have a similar result for EBV or insight into what this may mean? -Despin
Posts: 163 | From Cleveland, OH | Registered: Sep 2007
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timaca
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 6911
posted
Hi~
I also have high EBV IgG titres. This may indicate a reactivation of a previous infection (most people have been exposed to EBV even if we don't remember it).
Go to www.hhv-6foundation.org. Click on testing and read there. Also click on "patients" and read about HHV-6 testing. My story is there "my viral test results". I'm Timaca there too.
Read some other posts currently going on here at lymenet about HHV-7 and valcyte.
Timaca
Posts: 2872 | From above 7,000 ft in a pine forest | Registered: Feb 2005
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posted
Thanks a lot- this website was very informative. Have people found that these viral counts go down with lyme treatment? I'd be interested to hear about people's experiences.
Posts: 163 | From Cleveland, OH | Registered: Sep 2007
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posted
The way I understand IgG and IgM results are:
IgG - antibody levels because you were at one time exposed to the particular virus. High levels mean high antibodies. For example, someone who had a mild case of chicken pox in their lifetime would have a lower antibody count than someone who had a full blown case.
IgM - shows recent infection. If this one is high, it means the virus was recently active in your body.
If you had very low antibodies on the IgG it could also mean your immune system isn't up to par.
-------------------- Tracy Posts: 24 | From NE PA | Registered: Feb 2007
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timaca
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 6911
posted
I've had LOTS of lyme treatment and my viral counts are very high. So, for me, lyme treatment has not helped with the viral problem.
In my case I think that the lyme suppressed my immune system enough to allow these viruses to grow.
You should get checked for HHV-6 too. It is often high when EBV is. If both are high, valcyte is the drug to use. If just EBV is high then valtrex can be used.
Timaca
Posts: 2872 | From above 7,000 ft in a pine forest | Registered: Feb 2005
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posted
Has anyone been helped by antivirals? Or anything else. I also have borderline positive 1:160 titers for HHV-6 Igg.
Posts: 163 | From Cleveland, OH | Registered: Sep 2007
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WildCondor
Unregistered
posted
EBV is commonly re-activated by bacterial infections such as Lyme disease. The #'s usually go back to normal once you treat the Lyme disease and related co-infections. Some folks require Valtrex and immune boosting along with it.
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Elevated IgG antibody levels. Elevated IgG antibody levels can suggest, but not prove active, chronic infection. In a 1996 study of HHV-6 in CFS patients, 89% of the patients with IgG titers of 1:320 and above were found to have active infections by culture. (Wagner, Journal of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome)Stanford infectious disease specialist Jose Montoya believes that the best evidence of smoldering central nervous system (CNS) infection is the IgG antibody to the virus, and not the virus itself. In a pilot study, he found that when patients with high titers of HHV-6 IgG (1:320, 1:640 or higher) and EBV are treated with a potent antiviral; their titers fall substantially along with a significant improvement in symptoms.5 Elevated IgG Antibodies to HHV-6 cannot tell you for certain that the infection is active, but high titers support a clinical diagnosis. Similarly, elevated EBV VCA (late antibody) titers cannot indicate with certainly that an infection is active. However, EBV Early Antigen (EA) antibodies disappear rapidly after an infection is over, so elevated EBV EA antibodies do predict active infection.
Individuals vary in the way they respond to virus: some may not be able to generate antibodies due to a weak immune response. Others may generate large numbers of antibodies to many pathogens, and some healthy individuals have high titers of HHV-6 IgG antibodies. So looking at elevated antibodies to determine active infection is far from a perfect measure. Montoya is currently conducting a placebo controlled trial of Valcyte in symptomatic patients with elevated antibodies to HHV-6 & EBV. If these patients show a dramatic drop in antibody titers and an improvement in symptoms in response to Valcyte treatment, he will demonstrate conclusively that elevated IgG titers can be a sign of active infection and could be a good biomarker in monitoring patients.
At Stanford, Montoya uses antibody tests done by immunofluorescence or IFA to determine if a patient might qualify for antiviral treatment. He uses the IFA test at Focus Diagnostics Laboratory and has established a minimum threshold for treatment. He does not use ELISA tests that are offered at many labs (which report a number such as 0-20) because they are difficult to compare to the IFA values established in the literature, and because these assays cannot be used to monitor values over time. Many hospitals use the IFA test. Other laboratories that use the IFA test include: Focus Diagnostics Laboratory, Specialty Laboratories and Medical Diagnostics Laboratory.
Primary infections & IgM antibody levels. In a primary infection, which typically occurs before the age of two, IgG antibody levels increase four-fold within several weeks. Most pediatricians test for IgM antibodies to confirm a case of HHV-6 associated roseola or febrile seizures. The IgM antibodies appear within a few weeks and can be detected for several months. A fourfold rise in IgG titers or the presence of IgM antibodies are considered proof of active infection. The HHV-6 IgM antibodies are typically produced only with the primary infection, and not in subsequent reactivations. For this reason, the HHV-6 IgM test is not very useful for adults. Many physicians believe incorrectly that an adult with no IgM antibodies, the infection must not be active.
Posts: 2872 | From above 7,000 ft in a pine forest | Registered: Feb 2005
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lymebytes
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 11830
posted
Hi, This means nothing. Virtually 100% of all people have a positive IgG for EBV. Anyone here could be tested and be IgG positive, EBV or Epstein Barr Virus, we have all been exposed to, another name for it is mono. IgG means past exposure with any test.
The only thing that would matter would be if the IgM were out of range, that would mean you have active viruses.
Trust me, I know, I am tested often, as I have 3 active viruses, HHV6, EBV,CMV and am on Valtrex and have a well known LLMD who said and I quote, "The IgG doesn't matter, we are only interested in the IgM".
posted
Timaca. Have you been gone awhile? Thanks for your input on IgG/IgM and the work at Stanford by Montoya.
The biggest statement in all you presented was this: In one study in 1996, 89% of those tested for HHV-6 in CFS folks were culture positive.
There's a lot of pressure to dismiss IgG as being active infection and lots of pressure to dismiss IgM in Lyme now too. Sort of a seesaw.
Great to hear from you again!
Posts: 422 | From Luck home | Registered: Sep 2005
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timaca
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 6911
posted
lymebytes~ If possible read at the hhv-6foundation website and/or Dr. M's study. Focus Diagnostics ran IgG titres on normal, healthy individuals and they ran in the 1:80 to 1:120 range (I think..this is from memory). So, yes, we've all been exposed, hence we all have an IgG titre.
What Dr. M is theorizing is that if you titre is high (1:320 or 1:640) that this may indicate active infection.
Same with EBV. People who are healthy may have a titre of 1:100 or so (guessing here as the lab sheet isn't in front of me). Mine was 1:5000 something! This suggests (strongly), but doesn't prove active infection.
This is all theory and hasn't been proven...much like the Western Blot theory of diagnosing lyme disease. Someone has made antibodies to lyme. Do they have an infection or not? Maybe...suggests infection but doesn't prove it.
Obviously good tests are needed for both viruses and lyme.
Hope this helps explains how Dr. M is looking at the IgG titres.
If you look at the titres that he requires for his study participants, they are quite high. (I fit the criteria for his study. I would have been in his study had I lived in the Palo Alto area).
Hi Mjo~ You're welcome for the info. I haven't been gone...just haven't posted a lot here lately. However, I think the viral info is important to share, so that's why I'm sharing it!
Timaca
Posts: 2872 | From above 7,000 ft in a pine forest | Registered: Feb 2005
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timaca
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 6911
posted
lymebytes~ You might suggest that your LLMD read a copy of Dr. Montoya's article. The IgM is rarely positive in adults. Please read the above info that I posted.
I'm sure that Dr. M would answer any questions your LLMD has on chronic viral issues.
Timaca
Posts: 2872 | From above 7,000 ft in a pine forest | Registered: Feb 2005
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posted
My llmd told me most people with lyme have high EBV.
I was on Valtrex the first time I was treated for lyme and after 4 years I am relasping started antibiotics and valtrex again.
Posts: 12 | From Big Piney, Wyoming | Registered: Sep 2007
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timaca
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 6911
posted
wyo~ Do you know what your titres are both now and 4 years ago for EBV?
Timaca
Posts: 2872 | From above 7,000 ft in a pine forest | Registered: Feb 2005
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This suggests (strongly), but doesn't prove active infection.![[Wink]](wink.gif)
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