HUMAN AND VIRAL INTERLEUKIN-10 IN ACUTE EPSTEIN-BARR-VIRUS - INDUCED INFECTIOUS-MONONUCLEOSIS

Human interleukin 10 (hIL-10), a product of monocytes, T cells, and B cells, shares extensive structural and functional similarity with vira l IL-10 (vIL-10), a product of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) replication, W ith two ELISAs, one that recognizes both hIL-10 and vIL-10 and the oth er specific for vIL-10, IL-10 was measured in serum or plasma and in s aliva from 50 patients with acute EBV-induced infectious mononucleosis and from 19 normal subjects, In serum or plasma, 60% of the patients had measurable hIL-10 and/or vIL-10 and 18% had measurable vIL-10, In saliva, 20% of the patients had detectable hIL-10 and/or vIL-10 and no ne had detectable vIL-10, In contrast, hIL-10 and/or vIL-10 was undete ctable in all 19 normal serum or plasma samples (P < .001 vs, patient samples), Among normal saliva samples, 21% had detectable hIL-10 and/o r vIL-10 but none had detectable vIL-10, Thus, most patients with acut e EBV-induced infectious mononucleosis transiently have abnormally hig h levels of circulating IL-10.