Subtypes of Epstein-Barr virus in HIV-1-associated and HIV-1-unrelated Hodgkin's disease cases.
Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) type 2 is considered to be a much less potent transformer of lymphocytes than type 1. However, type-2 EBV may be involved in the pathogenesis of non-Hodgkin's lymphomas (NHLs) arising in immunocompromised patients, i.e., subjects with malaria or HIV-1 infection. To determine whether type-2 EBV may also play a role in Hodgkin's disease (HD) developing in immunocompromised patients, we characterized EBV subtypes in EBV-positive HD samples from 10 HIV-1-positive patients as well as from a control population of 24 HIV-1-negative patients. Type-2 EBV was detected in 5/10 HD samples from the HIV-1-positive group (1 case showed concomitant type-1 EBV positivity), but only in 1/20 HD samples from the HIV-1-negative group, indicating that, during HIV-1-induced immunodepression, type-2 EBV may be pathogenetically involved also in HD, as previously reported for HIV-associated NHLs.
De Re
V
V
Division of Experimental Oncology 1, Centro di Riferimento Oncologico, Aviano, Italy.
Boiocchi
M
M
De Vita
S
S
Dolcetti
R
R
Gloghini
A
A
Uccini
S
S
Baroni
C
C
Scarpa
A
A
Cattoretti
G
G
Carbone
A
A
D001483:Base Sequence; D006679:HIV Seropositivity / Q000150:complications*; D015497:HIV-1 / Q000276:immunology*; D004854:Herpesvirus 4, Human / Q000145:classification; D006689:Hodgkin Disease / Q000382:microbiology*; D006801:Humans; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D014412:Tumor Virus Infections / Q000150:complications*