Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), also known as herpesvirus 4, is a double-stranded DNA virus belonging to the family Herpesviridae. It is one of the most common viruses globally, with a lifetime prevalence of 90% [1,2]. The primary target cells of EBV are lymphoid cells of the B lineage. Life-long persistent and latent infections can occur, with frequent reactivations. EBV is unique among the Herpesviridae in its ability to transform precursor and mature human B lymphocytes, converting them into lymphoblastoid cells. EBV infection can lead to infectious mononucleosis (IM), post-transplant lymphoproliferative disease (PTLD), Hodgkin's disease, Burkitt lymphoma, and nasopharyngeal carcinoma [3]. Infections during childhood are often self-limiting and asymptomatic, while EBV infections during adolescent or adult age can induce symptoms such as fatigue, fever, inflamed throat, swollen lymph nodes in the neck, enlarged spleen, swollen liver and rash [2]. Mononucleosis or “kissing disease” is often transmitted via saliva yet transfer of viral particles can also occur through other bodily substances, such as blood, semen, and organ transplantations. Because of the high infectivity and potential complications of EBV infections in adult and especially immunocompromised patients, an accurate and rapid diagnosis is of major importance.

Automated real-time PCR-based technologies produce reliable, reproducible results and are less prone to contamination. Therefore, they have replaced manual methods for viral load determination. Standardization and development of viral load assays can be easily performed and are essential for clinical decision-making.

A high diversity of assays for the detection and quantification of EBV DNA exist. The AltoStar® EBV PCR Kit 1.5 (altona Diagnostics GmbH, Hamburg, Germany) is an assay which is highly automated and can be used on whole blood or plasma samples.

Our goal was to evaluate the technical performance of the AltoStar® EBV PCR Kit 1.5 on whole blood specimens and compare results from AltoStar® EBV PCR Kit 1.5 (altona Diagnostics) to the RealTime EBV assay (Abbott Molecular, Des Plaines, Illinois, USA). Both assays are CE/IVD approved for EBV viral load monitoring.