ABSENCE OF EPSTEIN-BARR-VIRUS IN LYMPHOMATOID PAPULOSIS - AN IMMUNOHISTOCHEMICAL AND IN-SITU HYBRIDIZATION STUDY

Background and Design: Lymphomatoid papulosis (LyP) and cutaneous Hodg kin's disease share many clinical, histopathologic, and immunohistoche mical features. Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) has been implicated in the pa thogenesis of several lymphoid malignancies, including Hodgkin's disea se. Given the similarities between LyP and Hodgkin's disease, we asked if EBV could be detected in lesions of LyP. We examined 31 specimens of LyP that were obtained from 24 patients for evidence of EBV by in s itu hybridization to EBER1 transcripts and for immunohistochemistry of viral latent membrane protein 1 (LMP1). Results: In no instance was t here any evidence of EBV gene products by either in situ hybridization or immunohistochemistry. Conclusions: The absence of EBV in LyP sugge sts that this virus is not operative in the pathogenesis of LyP. Furth ermore, it suggests that LyP and Hodgkin's disease may not share the s ame molecular mechanisms despite their phenotypic similarities.