Epstein-Barr virus and HLA-DPB1-*0301 in young adult Hodgkin's disease: Evidence for inherited susceptibility to Epstein-Barr virus in cases that areEBV+ve

Cases of Hodgkin's disease (HD) may be distinguished by whether they do [EB V-positive ((+ve)) cases] or do not [EBV-negative ((-ve)) cases] have evide nce of EBV DNA in the Reed-Sternberg cells. Only one study has attempted to distinguish epidemiological risk factors for EBV+ve and EBV-ve HD, and non e have compared inherited susceptibility. The present study involves a popu lation-based case series of HD, diagnosed in patients between 16-24 years o f age in the United Kingdom (n = 118), of whom 87% were classified by EBV s tatus (EBV+ve, 19, EBV-ve, 84). History of infectious illness, EBV antibody titers, and HLA-DPB1 type have been compared in EBV+ve and EBV-ve cases. R eported infectious mononucleosis was more frequent in EBV+ve cases (odds ra tio (OR), 5.10; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.12-24.4). EBV antibody tite rs to viral capsid antigen were significantly higher in EBV+ve cases (P for trend = 0.02). Higher proportions of EBV+ve (43%) than EBV-ve (31%) cases typed positive for HLA-DPB1*0301, but this was not statistically significan t; the association of infectious mononucleosis with EBV+ve cases was strong er in this HLA subgroup (OR, 17.1; 95%CI, 1.06-1177) than in other cases (O R, 1.24; 95% CI, 0.02-15.4). Although these results are based on small numb ers of HD cases, they provide suggestive evidence that the etiology of EBVve HD may involve inherited susceptibility to EBV.