Epstein–Barr virus: 40 years on
LS Young, AB Rickinson - Nature Reviews Cancer, 2004 - nature.com
LS Young, AB Rickinson
Nature Reviews Cancer, 2004•nature.comEpstein–Barr virus (EBV) was discovered 40 years ago from examining electron
micrographs of cells cultured from Burkitt's lymphoma, a childhood tumour that is common in
sub-Saharan Africa, where its unusual geographical distribution—which matches that of
holoendemic malaria—indicated a viral aetiology. However, far from showing a restricted
distribution, EBV—a γ-herpesvirus—was found to be widespread in all human populations
and to persist in the vast majority of individuals as a lifelong, asymptomatic infection of the B …
micrographs of cells cultured from Burkitt's lymphoma, a childhood tumour that is common in
sub-Saharan Africa, where its unusual geographical distribution—which matches that of
holoendemic malaria—indicated a viral aetiology. However, far from showing a restricted
distribution, EBV—a γ-herpesvirus—was found to be widespread in all human populations
and to persist in the vast majority of individuals as a lifelong, asymptomatic infection of the B …
Abstract
Epstein–Barr virus (EBV) was discovered 40 years ago from examining electron micrographs of cells cultured from Burkitt's lymphoma, a childhood tumour that is common in sub-Saharan Africa, where its unusual geographical distribution — which matches that of holoendemic malaria —indicated a viral aetiology. However, far from showing a restricted distribution, EBV — a γ-herpesvirus — was found to be widespread in all human populations and to persist in the vast majority of individuals as a lifelong, asymptomatic infection of the B-lymphocyte pool. Despite such ubiquity, the link between EBV and 'endemic' Burkitt's lymphoma proved consistent and became the first of an unexpectedly wide range of associations discovered between this virus and tumours.
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