How do You Test EBV?
At this point, you might be worried that you have EBV – and that it might be attacking your thyroid and hurting your body. Not to fear, as there are plenty of tests to help you figure out if this virus is present in your body.
As always, it is better to test than guess. The more common tests for EBV are called IgG capsid tests. Those simply show whether or not you have had past exposure to the virus.
Remember, though, 95% of us have been exposed to this virus before. If you have a reactive infection, an IgM test is going to turn positive (after lying dormant for a period of time).
There is also:
- Epstein Barr nuclear antigen (EBNA)
This tests may show up if you are having a reactivation of an old infection.
Last, but certainly not least, we have the EBV PCR. This is a quantitative test which counts how many infected particles there are in the system.