ENCODED LATENT MEMBRANE-PROTEIN-1 OF EPSTEIN-BARR-VIRUS ON FOLLICULARDENDRITIC CELLS IN RESIDUAL GERMINAL-CENTERS IN HODGKINS-DISEASE

Aims To determine if there is an association between Epstein-Barr viru s (EBV) infection and Hodgkin's disease. Methods-Fifty cases of Hodgki n's disease and 25 reactive lymph nodes were screened for the presence of EBV-RNA (EBER) using in situ hybridisation, and for the expression of EBV encoded latent membrane protein 1 (LMP-I) by immunohistochemis try. Results-In 42% of the cases of Hodgkin's disease, EBER was detect ed in the nuclei of the malignant cells, and in LMP-1 expression was f ound 36%. Both EBER and LMP-1 positivity were seen in 34% of the cases . An additional finding was the presence of LMP-1 on follicular dendri tic cells in residual germinal centres in two cases of Hodgkin's disea se. EBER was not detected in these germinal centres. In reactive lymph nodes only occasional EBER positive, small, lymphoid cells were found , without LMP-1 expression. Conclusions-These results show a strong co rrelation between the presence of EBER and the LMP-1 expression in the Reed-Sternberg cells. They corroborate a role for EBV in at least som e cases of Hodgkin's disease. LMP-1 is probably presented as an immune complex in the germinal centres, as part of an immune response agains t EBV.