Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2022 Nov;34(11):e23713.
doi: 10.1002/ajhb.23713. Epub 2021 Dec 16.

Age-related patterns of cytomegalovirus antibodies accompanying Epstein-Barr virus co-infection

Tyler M Barrett  1 , Melissa A Liebert  2 , Geeta N Eick  3 , Julia G Ridgeway-Diaz  4 , Felicia C Madimenos  5 , Aaron D Blackwell  6 , Samuel S Urlacher  7   8 , Lawrence S Sugiyama  3 , J Josh Snodgrass  3   9
Affiliations

Age-related patterns of cytomegalovirus antibodies accompanying Epstein-Barr virus co-infection

Tyler M Barrett et al. Am J Hum Biol. 2022 Nov.

Abstract

Objective: Cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection is associated with age-related chronic disease, and co-infection with Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) may compound disease risk. We aimed to assess the frequency of CMV infection and its relationship with age among EBV seropositive individuals in an Indigenous Amazonian population.

Methods: We report concentrations of CMV and EBV antibodies in dried blood spot samples collected from 157 EBV positive Shuar participants aged 15-86 years (60.5% female) to assess CMV infection rate. We used logistic and linear regression models to examine associations among CMV, EBV, and age, adjusting for sex, geographic region, and body mass index.

Results: Nearly two-thirds (63.1%) of EBV seropositive participants were also CMV seropositive. A 1-year increase in age was associated with 3.4% higher odds of CMV infection (OR [95% CI]: 1.034 [1.009-1.064], p = .012), but CMV antibody concentration was not significantly associated with age or EBV antibody concentration among co-infected individuals.

Conclusions: Herpesvirus-related immunosenescence may be important to understanding chronic disease risk among Shuar. Future studies should further explore the role of co-infection in shaping age-related changes in immune function.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

REFERENCES

    1. Aiello, A. E., Chiu, Y. L., & Frasca, D. (2017). How does cytomegalovirus factor into diseases of aging and vaccine responses, and by what mechanisms? Geroscience, 39(3), 261-271. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11357-017-9983-9
    1. Bennett, J. M., Glaser, R., Malarkey, W. B., Beversdorf, D. Q., Peng, J., & Kiecolt-Glaser, J. K. (2012). Inflammation and reactivation of latent herpesviruses in older adults. Brain, Behavior, and Immunity, 26(5), 739-746. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bbi.2011.11.007
    1. Blackwell, A. D., Snodgrass, J. J., Madimenos, F. C., & Sugiyama, L. S. (2010). Life history, immune function, and intestinal helminths: Trade-offs among immunoglobulin E, C-reactive protein, and growth in an Amazonian population. American Journal of Human Biology, 22(6), 836-848. https://doi.org/10.1002/ajhb.21092
    1. Cannon, M. J., Schmid, D. S., & Hyde, T. B. (2010). Review of cytomegalovirus seroprevalence and demographic characteristics associated with infection. Reviews in Medical Virology, 20(4), 202-213. https://doi.org/10.1002/rmv.655
    1. Dowd, J. B., Aiello, A. E., Chyu, L., Huang, Y. Y., & McDade, T. W. (2011). Cytomegalovirus antibodies in dried blood spots: A minimally invasive method for assessing stress, immune function, and aging. Immunity & Ageing, 8(1), 3. https://doi.org/10.1186/1742-4933-8-3

Publication types

Substances