Epstein-Barr virus infection of infants: implications of early age of infection on viral control and risk for Burkitt lymphoma

Rosemary Rochford

doi:10.1016/j.bmhimx.2015.12.001

Epstein-Barr virus infection of infants: implications of early age of infection on viral control and risk for Burkitt lymphoma

Bol Med Hosp Infant Mex. 2016 Jan-Feb;73(1):41-46. doi: 10.1016/j.bmhimx.2015.12.001. Epub 2016 Jan 6.

Author

Rosemary Rochford¹

Affiliation

¹ Department of Immunology and Microbiology University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO, USA. Electronic address: rosemary.rochford@ucdenver.edu.

PMID: 29421232
DOI: 10.1016/j.bmhimx.2015.12.001

Abstract

Since its first description by Denis Burkitt, endemic Burkitt's lymphoma (BL), the most common childhood cancer in sub-Saharan Africa, has led scientists to search for clues to the origins of this malignancy. The discovery of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) in BL cells over 50 years ago led to extensive sero-epidemiology studies and revealed that rather than being a virus restricted to areas where BL is endemic, EBV is ubiquitous in the world's population with an estimated greater than 90% of adults worldwide infected. A second pathogen, Plasmodium falciparum (P. falciparum) malaria is also linked to BL. In this review, we will discuss recent studies that indicate a role for P. falciparum malaria in dysregulating EBV infection, and increasing the risk for BL in children living where P. falciparum malaria transmission is high.

Keywords: Activation induced cytidine deaminase; Burkitt lymphoma; Citidina desaminasa inducida por activación; Epstein-Barr virus; Linfoma de Burkitt; Malaria; Plasmodium falciparum; Virus de Epstein-Barr.