title: Infection-associated hemophagocytic syndrome. Evidence for Epstein-Barr virus gene expression.
abstract: Autopsy specimens from a patient with infection-associated hemophagocytic syndrome (IAHS) were evaluated for the presence of Epstein-Barr virus DNA and RNA using in situ hybridization. Frozen sections of liver, lymph node, and spleen were probed with EBV Bam HI-H & W, gamma interferon, and SP-65 plasmid DNA as a negative control probe. Hybridization patterns before and after treatment with ribonuclease A were examined. Both EBV probes produced diffuse hybridization throughout the tissues; in addition, there were some foci of extremely heavy concentrations of silver granules. A gamma interferon probe showed evidence of hybridization, but the overall intensity was not as great as with EBV probes. Pretreatment with ribonuclease A dramatically decreased hybridization in all tissues to EBV probes, but hybridization with SP-65 was unaffected. The elimination of EBV hybridization with ribonuclease A pretreatment provides the first evidence of EBV gene expression in an IAHS patient.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas.
authors.forename: Z E
authors.initials: ZE
authors.lastname: Dreyer
authors.forename: B L
authors.initials: BL
authors.lastname: Dowell
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Hawkins
authors.forename: K L
authors.initials: KL
authors.lastname: McClain
mesh_terms: D015342:DNA Probes; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000235:genetics; D005260:Female; D015967:Gene Expression Regulation, Viral / Q000502:physiology*; D004854:Herpesvirus 4, Human / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D015616:Histiocytosis, Non-Langerhans-Cell / Q000235:genetics / Q000382:microbiology*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D009693:Nucleic Acid Hybridization
chemical_list: D015342:DNA Probes; D004279:DNA, Viral