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Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [3]; Associate Editor(s)-In-Chief: Lakshmi Gopalakrishnan, M.B.B.S. [4]
Overview
Epstein-Barr virus can cause infectious mononucleosis.
EBV- infectious mononucleosis
Infectious mononucleosis is caused when a person is first exposed to the virus during or after adolescence. Though once deemed "The Kissing Disease," recent research has shown that transmission of Mono not only occurs from exchanging saliva, but also from contact with the airborne virus.
It is predominantly found in the developing world, and most children in the developing world are found to have already been infected by around 18 months of age. EBV antibody tests turn up almost universally positive. In the United States roughly half of five-year-olds have been infected[1], and up to 95% of adults between 35 and 40 years of age.[2]
EBV-associated malignancies
- The strongest evidence linking EBV and cancer formation is found in Burkitt's lymphoma and nasopharyngeal carcinoma. It has been postulated to be a trigger for a subset of chronic fatigue syndrome patients[3] as well as multiple sclerosis and other autoimmune diseases.[4]
- Burkitt's lymphoma is a type of Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma [5] and is most common in equatorial Africa and is co-existent with the presence of malaria. Malaria infection causes reduced immune surveillance of EBV immortalized B cells, so allowing their proliferation. This proliferation increases the chance of a mutation to occur. Repeated mutations can lead to the B cells escaping the body's cell-cycle control, so allowing the cells to proliferate unchecked, resulting in the formation of Burkitt's lymphoma. Burkitt's lymphoma commonly affects the jaw bone, forming a huge tumor mass. It responds quickly to chemotherapy treatment, namely cyclophosphamide, but recurrence is common.
- Other B cell lymphomas arise in immunocompromised patients such as those with AIDS or who have undergone organ transplantation with associated immunosuppression (Post-Transplant Lymphoproliferative Disorder (PTLPD). Smooth muscle tumors are also associated with the virus in malignant patients.[5]
- Nasopharyngeal carcinoma is a cancer found in the upper respiratory tract, most commonly in the nasopharynx, and is linked to the EBV virus. It is found predominantly in Southern China and Africa, due to both genetic and environmental factors. It is much more common in people of Chinese ancestry (genetic), but is also linked to the Chinese diet of a high amount of smoked fish, which contain nitrosamines, well known carcinogens (environmental).[6]
- Chronic fatigue syndrome: In the late 1980s and early 1990s, EBV became the favored explanation for chronic fatigue syndrome. It was noted that people with chronic exhaustion had EBV, although it was also noted EBV was present in almost everyone. In a four year study, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that the virus did not adhere to Koch's Postulates and therefore had no definitive association between CFS and EBV but it is still being studied by researchers.
References
- ↑ [1]
- ↑ Epstein-Barr Virus and Infectious Mononucleosis - National Center for Infectious Diseases
- ↑ Lerner AM, Beqaj SH, Deeter RG, Fitzgerald JT (2004). "IgM serum antibodies to Epstein-Barr virus are uniquely present in a subset of patients with the chronic fatigue syndrome". In Vivo. 18 (2): 101–6. PMID 15113035.
- ↑ Lünemann JD, Münz C (2007). "Epstein-Barr virus and multiple sclerosis". Current neurology and neuroscience reports. 7 (3): 253–8. PMID 17488592.
- ↑ Weiss SW (2002). "Smooth muscle tumors of soft tissue". Adv Anat Pathol. 9 (6): 351–9. PMID 12409644.
- ↑ [2] Nasopharyngeal carcinoma information at OncologyChannel.com