A. Maeda et al., Persistently high Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) loads in peripheral blood lymphocytes from patients with chronic active EBV infection, J INFEC DIS, 179(4), 1999, pp. 1012-1015
Chronic active Epstein-Barr virus infection (CAEBV) is a severe illness wit
h unusual EBV activation that persists for years, and its pathogenesis is l
argely unknown. After the creation of an accurate and reproducible polymera
se chain reaction system to quantify EBV DNA, virus loads in peripheral blo
od lymphocytes (PBL) were determined in 54 children: 15 with CAEBV, 16 with
infectious mononucleosis (IM), and 23 healthy children. Children with CAEB
V and those with IM had high virus loads, Lower loads were detected in 47%
of seropositive healthy donors. There were two distinct differences between
children with CAEBV and those with IM: The former had greater viral replic
ation (10(3)-10(7) copies/2.5 x 10(5) PBL) than those with IM, and Viral re
plication declined in children with IM whereas active replication persisted
for years in subjects with CAEBV. Persisting high virus loads are a possib
le diagnostic criterion: for CAEBV, EBV loads may enable classification and
prognosis of EBV infections.