Relation of Burkitt's tumor-associated herpes-ytpe virus to infectious mononucleosis.

Abstract

Patients with infectious mononucleosis (IM) regularly develop antibodies to the herpes-type virus (Epstein-Barr virus, EBV) found in cultures derived from Burkitt''s tumors or other cells of the hemato-poietic system. The antibodies persist for many years and are distinct from heterophile antibodies. The epidemiology of IM and the seroepidemiology of EBV share many features, so that EBV, or a close relative of it, may be the cause of IM. This conclusion does not preclude the possibility that EBV might also be involved, either directly or indirectly, in the etiology of Burkitt''s lymphoma.