Epstein-Barr virus genome-positive T lymphocytes in a boy with chronic active EBV infection associated with Kawasaki-like disease.
Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), a ubiquitous human herpesvirus and an aetiological agent of infectious mononucleosis, has a unique tropism for B lymphocytes. Clinical and laboratory features of chronic active EBV infections are chronic or persistent infectious mononucleosis-like symptoms and high antibody titre against early antigens (EA). Kawasaki disease (KD), aetiology unknown, is thought to be self-limited immunologically mediated vasculitis. Clinical features of KD are fever, rash, mucositis, lymphadenopathy and coronary artery damage. We report here a child with chronic active EBV infection accompanied by dilatation of coronary arteries. All the EBV-determined nuclear antigen (EBNA)-positive lymphocytes had exclusively CD4 antigen, as revealed by dual staining immunofluorescence analysis. Southern blot hybridization showed that the purified CD4+ cells harboured EBV genome.
Kikuta
H
H
Department of Pediatrics, Hokkaido University School of Medicine, Sapporo, Japan.
Taguchi
Y
Y
Tomizawa
K
K
Kojima
K
K
Kawamura
N
N
Ishizaka
A
A
Sakiyama
Y
Y
Matsumoto
S
S
Imai
S
S
Kinoshita
T
T
D000956:Antigens, Viral / Q000032:analysis; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002908:Chronic Disease; D003331:Coronary Vessels / Q000473:pathology; D004108:Dilatation, Pathologic; D006566:Herpesviridae Infections / Q000150:complications / Q000382:microbiology*; D004854:Herpesvirus 4, Human / Q000276:immunology / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009080:Mucocutaneous Lymph Node Syndrome / Q000209:etiology* / Q000382:microbiology / Q000473:pathology; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000382:microbiology*; D006377:T-Lymphocytes, Helper-Inducer / Q000382:microbiology*
D000956:Antigens, Viral