Abstract
To determine whether major depressive disorder might be associated with serologic evidence for a chronic active Epstein-Barr virus infection, viral-specific antibodies were measured in two separate groups of depressed patients (N = 43) and in 46 appropriately matched healthy volunteers. No evidence that depression affects cellular immunity to the point that a persistent Epstein-Barr virus carrier state becomes activated was found. There was also no evidence that depression results from an unrecognized chronic active Epstein-Barr virus infection. The authors conclude that the routine clinical determination of expensive commercial Epstein-Barr virus antibody profiles is not indicated in most patients with major depressive disorder in the absence of other signs of chronic active Epstein-Barr viral infection.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 1593-1596 |
Number of pages | 4 |
Journal | American Journal of Psychiatry |
Volume | 143 |
Issue number | 12 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - 1986 |