Absence of Epstein-Barr viral RNA in lymphomatoid papulosis.
Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) recently has been implicated in the pathogenesis of Hodgkin's disease (HD). Lymphomatoid papulosis (LyP) is a premalignant cutaneous lymphoproliferative disorder which shares several characteristics with HD. The hypothesis has been made that EBV may be associated with the pathogenesis of LyP. We therefore examined 17 skin biopsy specimens and two lymph nodes from nine patients with LyP for EBV RNA using the highly sensitive and specific EBER method. In all specimens, the large atypical cells were negative for EBV while poly T studies confirmed the presence of adequate RNA for detection of EBER. The negative EBER results were confirmed in seven LyP patients whose biopsies were also stained for latent membrane protein (LMP-1). Interestingly, one patient with clonally related LyP and HD had no EBV RNA detected in any specimen. We conclude that EBV is unlikely to be an important aetiological agent in LyP. If confirmed in other patients, HD associated with LyP may have a different aetiology from HD arising de novo.
Department of Pathology, Beth Israel Hospital, Boston, MA 02215.
M E
ME
Kadin
E C
EC
Vonderheid
L M
LM
Weiss
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000956:Antigens, Viral / Q000032:analysis; D005260:Female; D004854:Herpesvirus 4, Human / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology; D006689:Hodgkin Disease / Q000382:microbiology; D006801:Humans; D017403:In Situ Hybridization; D008198:Lymph Nodes / Q000382:microbiology; D008232:Lymphoproliferative Disorders / Q000382:microbiology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000032:analysis*; D012867:Skin / Q000382:microbiology*; D017444:Skin Diseases, Papulosquamous / Q000382:microbiology*; D014759:Viral Envelope Proteins / Q000032:analysis; D014763:Viral Matrix Proteins / Q000032:analysis
D000956:Antigens, Viral; C037662:EBV-associated membrane antigen, Epstein-Barr virus; D012367:RNA, Viral; D014759:Viral Envelope Proteins; D014763:Viral Matrix Proteins