title: Multiple Epstein-Barr virus strains in patients with infectious mononucleosis: comparison of ex vivo samples with in vitro isolates by use of heteroduplex tracking assays.
abstract: Recent work using a heteroduplex tracking assay (HTA) to identify resident viral sequences has suggested that patients with infectious mononucleosis (IM) who are undergoing primary Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infection frequently harbor different EBV strains. Here, we examine samples from patients with IM by use of a new Epstein-Barr nuclear antigen 2 HTA alongside the established latent membrane protein 1 HTA. Coresident allelic sequences were detected in ex vivo blood and throat wash samples from 13 of 14 patients with IM; most patients carried 2 or more type 1 strains, 1 patient carried 2 type 2 strains, and 1 patient carried both virus types. In contrast, coresident strains were detected in only 2 of 14 patients by in vitro B cell transformation, despite screening >20 isolates/patient. We infer that coacquisition of multiple strains is common in patients with IM, although only 1 strain tends to be rescued in vitro; whether nonrescued strains are present in low abundance or are transformation defective remains to be determined.
authors.affiliation: Cancer Research UK Institute for Cancer Studies, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Rosemary J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Tierney
authors.forename: Rachel Hood
authors.initials: RH
authors.lastname: Edwards
authors.forename: Diane
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Sitki-Green
authors.forename: Deborah
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Croom-Carter
authors.forename: Sushmita
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Roy
authors.forename: Qing-Yun
authors.initials: QY
authors.lastname: Yao
authors.forename: Nancy
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Raab-Traub
authors.forename: Alan B
authors.initials: AB
authors.lastname: Rickinson
mesh_terms: D001769:Blood / Q000821:virology; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000235:genetics*; D019309:Epstein-Barr Virus Nuclear Antigens / Q000235:genetics; D004854:Herpesvirus 4, Human / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D006801:Humans; D007244:Infectious Mononucleosis / Q000821:virology*; D009692:Nucleic Acid Heteroduplexes; D009693:Nucleic Acid Hybridization / Q000379:methods*; D010614:Pharynx / Q000821:virology; D014763:Viral Matrix Proteins / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D004279:DNA, Viral; C037662:EBV-associated membrane antigen, Epstein-Barr virus; D019309:Epstein-Barr Virus Nuclear Antigens; D009692:Nucleic Acid Heteroduplexes; D014763:Viral Matrix Proteins