Pathogenesis of Epstein-Barr and its associated malignancies

Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is a human herpesvirus that establishes a latent infection in lymphoid cells and replicates in epithelial cells. EBV is linked to the development of several human cancers and causes lymphoma in immunocompromised patients. EBV infection in vivo is a complex mixture of latent, reactivated, transforming, or replicative types of infection. It is marked by sporadic viral excretion in the oropharynx and persistent latent infection in the bone marrow and peripheral blood lymphocytes. Factors that contribute to the development of cancer possibly affect the type of viral infection in the differing cell types. The EBV latent membrane protein I is a critical factor in EBV pathogenesis as it induces cellular growth and affects cellular growth-control mechanisms.