ArticleBMC public health2020
Epidemiology of Epstein-Barr virus infection and infectious mononucleosis in the United Kingdom.
Article in BMC public health, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 114 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
114 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 200 citations in OpenAlex.
- JC polyomavirus (JCV, HPyV2) seropositivity prevalence in healthy subjects: Systematic review and meta-analysis.PloS one · 2026Pooled it
- Equity in protection: bridging global data gaps for an EBV vaccine-a systematic review and meta-analysis.BMJ global health · 2025Pooled it
- Cytomegalovirus Latency Fuels Inflammation Following Myocardial Infarction.Circulation research · 2026Article
- Sex- and age-specific incidence and fraction of hospital contacts for infectious mononucleosis cases in Denmark in 1977-2011.European journal of clinical microbiology & infectious diseases : official publication of the European Society of Clinical Microbiology · 2026Article
- Article
- Callitrichine herpesvirus 3 in the common marmoset is a model of Epstein-Barr virus infection and associated lymphoma.PLoS pathogens · 2026Article
- Risk of Multiple Sclerosis Among Persons with Epstein Barr Virus-Positive Mononucleosis: A Population-Based Study.Neurology open access · 2026Article
- Seroprevalence and associated factors of Epstein-Barr virus among blood donors in Sana'a, Yemen.BMC infectious diseases · 2026Article
- Epidemiological evidence for the role of puberty and immune senescence in Hodgkin lymphoma aetiology from 1992 Danish cases.International journal of cancer · 2026Article
- Why Is MS a More Frequent Complication of EBV Infection in Females?Immunological reviews · 2026Review
- Higher prevalence of cytomegalovirus and Epstein-Barr virus in acute-on-chronic liver failure.JHEP reports : innovation in hepatology · 2026Article
- A Post-Pandemic Surge: Sustained High Prevalence and Epidemiological Shift in Pediatric Epstein-Barr Virus Infection.Pathogens (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- A positive association between phosphorylated Tau217 (pTau217) and neural correlations is prevented by human leukocyte antigen allele DRB1*13:01.Scientific reports · 2026Article
- The Immunosuppression Paradox in Multiple Sclerosis: Are We Fueling the Fire by Suppressing Immunity in an Epstein-Barr Virus-Linked Disease?Open forum infectious diseases · 2026Review
- Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV) Hepatitis Treated With N-Acetylcysteine: Placebo Versus True Effect.Cureus · 2026Article
- The Difference in Clinical Features and Hepatic Injury Characteristics Between Children and Adults With Infectious Mononucleosis.JGH open : an open access journal of gastroenterology and hepatology · 2026Article
- IgA nephropathy: a novel pathway in immunopathogenesis dependent on the timing of Epstein-Barr virus infection.Frontiers in immunology · 2026Review
- Incidence age is bimodal for myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome, with higher severity burden for early onset disease.Oxford open immunology · 2026Article
- The clinical utility of combining D-dimer with the C-reactive protein/albumin ratio for assessing treatment response in pediatric infectious mononucleosis.Frontiers in medicine · 2026Article
- Adoptive T-cell therapy for virus-associated diseases.Clinical microbiology reviews · 2025Review
54 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
7 authors at 3 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundEpstein-Barr Virus (EBV) is a ubiquitous gamma-herpesvirus with which ~ 95% of the healthy population is infected. EBV infection has been implicated in a range of haematological malignancies and autoimmune diseases. Delayed primary EBV infection increases the risk of subsequent complications. Contemporaneous seroepidemiological data is needed to establish best approaches for successful vaccination strategies in the future.
methodsWe conducted a sero-epidemiological survey using serum samples from 2325 individuals between 0 and 25 years old to assess prevalence of detectable anti-EBV antibodies. Second, we conducted a retrospective review of Hospital Episode Statistics to examine changes in Infectious Mononucleosis (IM) incidence over time. We then conducted a large case-control study of 6306 prevalent IM cases and 1,009,971 unmatched controls extracted from an East London GP database to determine exposures associated with IM.
results1982/2325 individuals (85.3%) were EBV seropositive. EBV seropositivity increased more rapidly in females than males during adolescence (age 10-15). Between 2002 and 2013, the incidence of IM (derived from hospital admissions data) increased. Exposures associated with an increased risk of IM were lower BMI, White ethnicity, and not smoking.
conclusionsWe report that overall EBV seroprevalence in the UK appears to have increased, and that a sharp increase in EBV seropositivity is seen in adolescent females, but not males. The incidence of IM requiring hospitalisation is increasing. Exposures associated with prevalent IM in a diverse population include white ethnicity, lower BMI, and never-smoking, and these exposures interact with each other. Lastly, we provide pilot evidence suggesting that antibody responses to vaccine and commonly encountered pathogens do not appear to be diminished among EBV-seronegative individuals. Our findings could help to inform vaccine study designs in efforts to prevent IM and late complications of EBV infection, such as Multiple Sclerosis.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.