Phenotype and frequency of Epstein-Barr virus-infected cells in pretreatment blood samples from patients with Hodgkin lymphoma.
An accumulating body of data suggests that the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), a lymphotropic herpesvirus, is involved in the pathogenesis of a proportion of cases of Hodgkin lymphoma (HL). In this study, we showed that the frequency of circulating EBV-infected cells was significantly higher (P < 0.001) in pretreatment blood samples from EBV-associated cases when compared with non-EBV-associated cases. We further showed that in patients with EBV-associated disease, the virus persisted in the peripheral blood in memory B cells. This phenotype is consistent with that seen in healthy seropositive controls, post-transplant patients and patients with acute infectious mononucleosis. The data suggest that an increased frequency of EBV carrying B cells in peripheral blood is associated with EBV-associated HL.
Khan
Gulfaraz
G
Leukaemia Research Fund Virus Centre, Institute of Comparative Medicine, University of Glasgow, Bearsden Road, Glasgow G61 1QH, Scotland, UK.
Lake
Annette
A
Shield
Lesley
L
Freeland
June
J
Andrew
Linda
L
Alexander
Freda E
FE
Jackson
Robert
R
Taylor
Penelope R A
PR
McCruden
Elizabeth A B
EA
Jarrett
Ruth F
RF
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001402:B-Lymphocytes / Q000821:virology*; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D004854:Herpesvirus 4, Human; D006689:Hodgkin Disease / Q000276:immunology* / Q000821:virology*; D006801:Humans; D007156:Immunologic Memory; D017403:In Situ Hybridization / Q000379:methods; D007244:Infectious Mononucleosis / Q000276:immunology*; D007962:Leukocytes / Q000821:virology; D016131:Lymphocyte Subsets; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000379:methods; D019562:Viral Load