title: Epstein-Barr virus-associated lymphomas.
abstract: Following Epstein and colleagues' ground-breaking discovery of Epstein-Barr virus by electron microscopy of Burkitt's lymphoma cell lines, there came the observation that Epstein-Barr virus induces immortalization of B cells in vitro. Thus, initial hopes were of a virus confined to equatorial Africa with a causal link to a particular subtype of childhood lymphoma. Over the past 40 years there has been great progress towards understanding the biology and epidemiology of Epstein-Barr virus, which conclusively show that these early ideas were overly simplistic. It is now known that Epstein-Barr virus has a seroprevalence of approximately 95% worldwide, and persists for life within host B lymphocytes. Infection in New World primates leads to lymphoma and inoculation of peripheral blood mononuclear cells from Epstein-Barr virus-seropositive subjects into severe combined immunodeficiency mice results in B-cell lymphoproliferative disorders. Epstein-Barr virus is now known to be implicated in a range of lymphoid and other malignancies, and this association will be the subject of this review.
authors.affiliation: Tumor Immunology Lab, Level I, CRC, QIMR, Brisbane, 4006, Queensland, Australia. maher.gandhi@qimr.edu.au
authors.forename: Maher K
authors.initials: MK
authors.lastname: Gandhi
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002051:Burkitt Lymphoma / Q000276:immunology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000821:virology; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D020031:Epstein-Barr Virus Infections / Q000150:complications*; D004854:Herpesvirus 4, Human / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D006689:Hodgkin Disease / Q000276:immunology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000821:virology; D006801:Humans; D008223:Lymphoma / Q000145:classification* / Q000276:immunology / Q000821:virology*; D008232:Lymphoproliferative Disorders / Q000276:immunology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000821:virology; D008875:Middle Aged; D017735:Virus Latency