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Epstein‐barr virus infection following bone‐marrow transplantation
Author(s) -
Sullivan John L.,
Wallen William C.,
Johnson F. Leonard
Publication year - 1978
Publication title -
international journal of cancer
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.475
H-Index - 234
eISSN - 1097-0215
pISSN - 0020-7136
DOI - 10.1002/ijc.2910220205
Subject(s) - mononucleosis , medicine , immunology , epstein–barr virus , bone marrow , epstein–barr virus infection , serology , herpesviridae , virus , lymphoma , leukemia , antigen , transplantation , antibody , viral disease , lymphoblast , graft versus host disease , disease , pathology , biology , genetics , cell culture
A 12‐year‐old patient with acute lymphoblastic leukemia received a bone‐marrow transplant (BMT) from a matched sibling donor. Nine weeks prior to transplant the donor experienced Epstein‐Barr virus (EBV)‐induced infectious mononucleosis. The bone‐marrow recipient was EBV‐negative at the time of transplant; however, 4 weeks post transplant the recipient developed clinical symptoms of graft‐versus‐host disease (GVHD) coincident with serological evidence of acute EBV infection. In addition, a lymphoblastoid cell line positive for Epstein‐Barr nuclear antigen was established from a bone‐marrow sample obtained at the onset of symptoms compatible with GVHD. Sera obtained from the recipient over the ensuing 2 months showed the appearance of antibodies to specific EBV antigens consistent with a primary immune response to EBV infection. This association of acute EBV infection with symptoms of GVHD in a BMT recipient suggests a need for further investigation of the epidemiology of EBV infections in human bone‐marrow transplantation and the relationship between EBV infection and GVHD.