The disclosure relates to methods and reagents for analyzing samples for the presence of JC virus antibodies. Disclosed is a method that includes obtaining a biological sample from a subject (e.g., plasma, serum, blood, urine, or cerebrospinal fluid), contacting the sample with highly purified viral-like particles HPVLPs) under conditions suitable for binding of a JCV antibody in the sample to an HPVLP, and detecting the level of JCV antibody binding in the sample to HPVLP In one embodiment, determining the level of anti-JCV antibodies in the subject sample provides a method of identifying PML risk in a subject.