Prevalence of Epstein–Barr virus antibodies in different age groups in Europe and Asia: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Introduction. Attempts to assess the prevalence of antibodies (seroprevalence) to the Epstein-Barr virus have been made several times. Still, a complete understanding of this issue has not been reached due to the small samples of the surveyed. The goal is to evaluate seroprevalence in different age groups in Europe and Asia using a systematic review and meta-analysis. Material and methods. The search for publications was carried out on PubMed, Cochrane Reviews/CochraneLibrary, eLibrary, Cyberleninka, Researchgate from May 6 to 30, 2020. A total of 2,364 articles were found, 12 of which were included in the study. Seroprevalence to Epstein-Barr virus was determined in 67,561 individuals aged 0 to 80 years. The research results were distributed by age groups, continents (Europe and Asia), and their implementation (2000-2012 and 2013-2019) and subjected to meta-analysis. Results. Minimal seroprevalence was detected among children under 1 and 1-2 years of age (53.3 and 50.9%). With increasing age, it grew, and people over 18 years of age were more than 90%. In 2013-2019, the index value (68.9%) was significantly higher than in 2000-2012 (89.6%). In Asian countries in 2000-2019, seroprevalence (86.7%) was considerably higher than in Europe (76.3%). The highest growth rate was observed in 7-14 years. In 2000-2012, the maximum growth rate of seroprevalence occurred in 15-17 years and 2013-2019 - 3-6 years. For all age groups, the growth rate was higher in Europe than in Asia and 2013-2019 compared to 2000-2012. Conclusion. The meta-analysis revealed differences in seroprevalence depending on age and territory of residence and the growth of indices in the trend.