[Chronic active Epstein-Barr virus infection].
The ubiquitous Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), which establishes latency after primary infection, does not cause any symptomatic diseases as long as cellular immunity is intact. In apparently immunocompetent individuals, a chronic infection can develop, and this has been called as chronic active EBV infection (CAEBV). CAEBV is characterized by chronic or recurrent infectious mononucleosis-like symptoms, such as fever, extensive lymphadenopathy, and, hepatosplenomegaly. This disease is rare but severe with high morbidity and mortality. Recently, its pathophysiology is not an infection but a clonal expansion of EBV-infected T or natural killer NK cells. In this review, I discuss our current understanding of the pathogenesis of CAEBV and summarize its clinical features, therapies, and prognosis.
Department of Virology, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine 65 Turumai-cho, Showa-ku, Nagoya 466-8550, Japan. hkimura@med.nagoya-u.ac.jp
Hiroshi
H
Kimura
D049109:Cell Proliferation; D002908:Chronic Disease; D020031:Epstein-Barr Virus Infections / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000276:immunology* / Q000628:therapy / Q000821:virology*; D004854:Herpesvirus 4, Human / Q000276:immunology / Q000472:pathogenicity; D006801:Humans; D007694:Killer Cells, Natural / Q000276:immunology / Q000821:virology; D011379:Prognosis; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology / Q000821:virology