Epstein-Barr virus infection following bone-marrow transplantation.
A 12-year-old patient with acute lymphoblastic leukemia received a bone-marrow transplant (BMT) from a matched sibling donor. Nine weeks prior to transplant the donor experienced Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-induced infectious mononucleosis. The bone-marrow recipient was EBV-negative at the time of transplant; however, 4 weeks post transplant the recipient developed clinical symptoms of graft-verus-host disease (GVHD) coincident with serological evidence of acute EBV infection. In addition, a lymphoblastoid cell line positive for Epstein-Barr nuclear antigen was established from a bone-marrow sample obtained at the onset of symptoms compatible with GVHD. Sera obtained from the recipient over the ensuing 2 months showed the appearance of antibodies to specific EBV antigens consistent with a primary immune response to EBV infection. This association of acute EBV infection with symptoms of GVHD in a BMT recipient suggests a need for further investigation of the epidemiology of EBV infections in human bone-marrow transplantation and the relationship between EBV infection and GVHD.
D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000032:analysis; D001402:B-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology; D001853:Bone Marrow / Q000276:immunology; D016026:Bone Marrow Transplantation; D002213:Capsid / Q000276:immunology; D002648:Child; D006087:Graft vs Host Reaction; D004854:Herpesvirus 4, Human / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D007075:Immunoglobulin M; D007244:Infectious Mononucleosis / Q000209:etiology* / Q000276:immunology / Q000635:transmission; D007945:Leukemia, Lymphoid / Q000628:therapy*; D008297:Male
D000914:Antibodies, Viral; D007075:Immunoglobulin M