The origin & effects of the Epstein - Barr Virus.

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The Origin & Effects of

The Epstein – Barr Virus

Michael Najdovski 2107931e

RMIT University

Department of Applied Biotechnology & Environmental Biology

AB120 Scientific Methods


Contents

        Table 1.Herpesviruses………………………………………………………...iii

        Epstein - Barr Virus……………………………………………………………4

            Infectious Mononucleosis……………………………………………………...4

            Burkitt's Lymphoma…………………………………………………………...5

            Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma…………………………………………………...5

            Immunocompromised Patients………………………………………………...5

                Transplant Recipients………………………………………………….5

        References……………………………………………………………………..7

   


Overview

EBV, or Epstein – Barr virus, is a virus of the Herpes virus’s family.  It is associated with various diseases such as infectious mononucleosis, Burkitt’s lymphoma, nasopharyngeal carcinoma and other lymphoproliferative diseases (Pagano JS. 1999).  It is transmitted from person to person through saliva, mainly through kissing.  Almost everyone in the population is eventually exposed to the virus at some stage in their life.  Most children are exposed to the virus by the age of 6 and develop a slight fever.  For unknown reasons, in teenagers, the immune system overreacts and produces symptoms of infectious mononucleosis.  After initial infection, the virus remains in the body and enters a latent phase.  It can be triggered when the immune system is compromised as with AIDS patients or organ transplant patients.  These people are at risk of developing various tumours and cancers related to the Epstein – Barr virus.  There are no known cures for the virus and it is almost impossible to stop it from spreading (Watanabe ME.  1999).

Properties of Herpes Viruses

Herpes virus causes several types of skin eruptions characterized by formation of blisters. Herpes viruses include, herpes simplex (HSV), herpes zoster (VZV), Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), cytomegalovirus (CMV), and several human herpes viruses (HHV).  Together these viruses are known to cause more infections and illnesses than any other group of viruses (Carlson JK, et al 1996).  The herpes virus family also contains three subfamilies and each of the types of viruses falls into one of them as seen in Table. 1.

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As with all herpes viruses, after infection, the virus steadily spreads latently.  The initial infection can be more serious when the immune system in the patient is compromised.  Reactivation of the virus is also more likely if the immune system is compromised.

(Linda Stannard, University of Cape Town.  S.A)

Fig.1.  HSV-2 virus particle.  Note that all herpes viruses have identical morphology and cannot be distinguished from each other under electron microscopy (Wong D 1998).


Epstein – Barr Virus (EBV)

In 1964 scientists Epstein and Barr were given the task to study cells from the ...

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