Serological Evidence of Epstein-Barr Virus Infection and Disease Activity Assessment in Rheumatoid Arthritis: A Case-Control Study in Erbil, Iraq: Serological Evidence of Epstein-Barr Virus Infection and Disease Activity Assessment in Rheumatoid Arthritis

Kasya Aswad Othman; Katan Sabir Ali

doi:10.63841/iue31670

Authors

Kasya Aswad Othman College of Health Sciences, Hawler Medical University, Erbil, IRAQ Author https://orcid.org/0009-0009-7065-410X
Katan Sabir Ali College of Health Sciences, Hawler Medical University, Erbil, IRAQ Author

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.63841/iue31670

Keywords:

Rheumatoid arthritis, Epstein-Barr virus, Correlation, EBNA-IgG, VCA-IgM

Abstract

Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) has been implicated in the pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) through molecular mimicry and immune dysregulation mechanisms. This study aimed to investigate the association between EBV infection markers and RA in patients from Erbil, Iraq, and to explore the relationships between viral antibody levels and disease activity. A case-control study was conducted involving 66 RA patients diagnosed according to ACR-EULAR 2010 criteria and 25 healthy controls from Rizgary Teaching Hospital, Erbil, Iraq. Serum levels of Epstein-Barr Nuclear Antigen-IgG and Viral Capsid Antigen-IgM were measured using Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay. Disease activity was assessed using the Disease Activity Score 28 (DAS28) scores. RA patients showed significantly higher VCA-IgM seropositivity compared to controls (75.76% vs 20%, p<0.05), which suggests increased viral reactivation. EBNA-IgG levels did not differ significantly between groups (p=0.61). EBV antibody levels were significantly higher in RA patients compared to healthy controls, indicating increased viral reactivation or altered immune responses to EBV antigens in the RA group. Moreover, a significant positive correlation was found between EBNA-IgG and VCA-IgM levels (r=0.329, p<0.01), indicating concurrent antibody responses in RA patients compared to healthy controls. RA patients exhibit altered EBV immune responses characterized by elevated VCA-IgM levels, supporting viral reactivation patterns in autoimmune disease. These findings contribute to understanding EBV-RA relationships and suggest potential clinical utility for EBV serological testing in RA diagnosis and monitoring.

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Author Biography

Katan Sabir Ali, College of Health Sciences, Hawler Medical University, Erbil, IRAQ

Katan S. Ali is a Assistant Prof. at the Department of Medical Microbiology College of Health Science, Hawler Medical University. He got the B.Sc. degree in Salahaddin University/College of Science, the M.Sc. degree in Hawler Medical University/College of Medicine and the Ph.D. degree in Hawler Medical University/College of Medicine. His research interests are in Virology and Immunology; Dr. Katan published 10 papers, and participated in 15 international and national workshops and conferences.

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Serological Evidence of Epstein-Barr Virus Infection and Disease Activity Assessment in Rheumatoid Arthritis: A Case-Control Study in Erbil, Iraq