TY - JOUR
T1 - Epstein-Barr virus: 40 years on
AU - Young, Lawrence
AU - Rickinson, Alan
PY - 2004/1/1
Y1 - 2004/1/1
N2 - Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) was discovered 40 years ago from examining electron micrographs of cells cultured from Burkitt's lymphoma, a childhood tumour that is common in sub-Saharan Africa, where its unusual geographical distribution - which matches that of holoendemic malaria -indicated a viral aetiology. However, far from showing a restricted distribution, EBV - a gamma-herpesvirus - was found to be widespread in all human populations and to persist in the vast majority of individuals as a lifelong, asymptomatic infection of the B-lymphocyte pool. Despite such ubiquity, the link between EBV and 'endemic' Burkitt's lymphoma proved consistent and became the first of an unexpectedly wide range of associations discovered between this virus and tumours.
AB - Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) was discovered 40 years ago from examining electron micrographs of cells cultured from Burkitt's lymphoma, a childhood tumour that is common in sub-Saharan Africa, where its unusual geographical distribution - which matches that of holoendemic malaria -indicated a viral aetiology. However, far from showing a restricted distribution, EBV - a gamma-herpesvirus - was found to be widespread in all human populations and to persist in the vast majority of individuals as a lifelong, asymptomatic infection of the B-lymphocyte pool. Despite such ubiquity, the link between EBV and 'endemic' Burkitt's lymphoma proved consistent and became the first of an unexpectedly wide range of associations discovered between this virus and tumours.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=4944266319&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1038/nrc1452
DO - 10.1038/nrc1452
M3 - Review article
C2 - 15510157
SN - 1474-1768
VL - 4
SP - 757
EP - 768
JO - Nature Reviews Cancer
JF - Nature Reviews Cancer
ER -
