Fatal liver failure: molecular evidence for chronic active Epstein-Barr virus infection.
Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infection is a benign disease, which may occasionally be fatal, particularly in children and immunocompromised patients. Epstein-Barr virus infection is rare in elderly subjects and seems to have a self-limited course. A case of fatal liver failure due to chronic active EBV infection in a 75-year-old man is described. The etiology was established postmortem by cellular expression of EBV-DNA in liver and lymphatic tissue. This patient meets the diagnostic criteria of a case definition for a highly probable "severe chronic active EBV syndrome." Either suspected or unsuspected, the long-term prognosis of this syndrome is poor and its mortality high.
Sánchez
Francesca
F
Services of Internal Medicine and Infectious Diseases, Hospital del Mar. Barcelona, 08003 Barcelona, Spain. psanchez@aspb.es
Gimeno-Bayón
Juan Luis
JL
Esgueva
Raquel
R
Alvarez
Francisco
F
Munné
Ma Assumpta
MA
Serrano
Sergi
S
D000368:Aged; D002908:Chronic Disease; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000032:analysis; D020031:Epstein-Barr Virus Infections / Q000473:pathology / Q000821:virology*; D017809:Fatal Outcome; D004854:Herpesvirus 4, Human / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D006801:Humans; D017403:In Situ Hybridization; D008099:Liver / Q000737:chemistry / Q000473:pathology / Q000821:virology; D017093:Liver Failure / Q000473:pathology / Q000821:virology*; D008198:Lymph Nodes / Q000737:chemistry / Q000473:pathology / Q000821:virology; D008297:Male
D004279:DNA, Viral