TY - JOUR T1 - EBV Seroepidemiology in Married and Unmarried Women and Men in Iran TT - JF - rbmb JO - rbmb VL - 2 IS - 2 UR - http://rbmb.net/article-1-49-en.html Y1 - 2014 SP - 94 EP - 97 KW - Anti-VCA KW - Epstein Barr Virus KW - Sexual contact N2 - Background: Among the eight known human herpes viruses, Epstein- Barr virus (EBV) is considered to be sexually transmissible. This study was conducted to evaluate the seroepidemiology of this infection in married and unmarried Iranian couples. Methods: In this comparative observational and cross-sectional study, 160 men and women were divided into married and unmarried groups. Serum IgG and IgM antibodies to the EBV viral capsid antigen were analyzed by Enzyme-linked Immunosorbent Assays (ELISAs). Results: In this study 78 men and 82 women were enrolled. Ninety percent of the married and 76.2% of the unmarried women were anti-EBV IgG positive (P = 0.08), while 80% of the married and 94% of the unmarried men were antiEBV IgG positive (P = 0.052). Conclusion: Seroepidemiology of EBV is not significantly different in married vs. unmarried women and men in Iran; therefore, sexual contact may not be the primary mechanism of EBV transmission in Iran and other developing countries. Attention to other possible routes of transmission is recommended. M3 ER -