Epstein Barr Virus Flashcards
Which viral family does it belong to?
Herpes
Which cell does it infect?
B cell
Whats the classic triad of symptoms?
Pharyngitis
Fever
Lymphadenopathy
How do you treat it?
Aciclovir to avoid leukoplakia
Must advise to avoid risky behaviours like contact sport - risk of ruptured spleen
Who gets EBV?
15-19year olds
Morre blacks than caucasians
What percentage of people have had EBV sub clinically by adulthood?
90%
What two cancers is EBV associated with?
Burkitts lymphoma
nasopharyngeal carcinoma
What does it do to B cells?
Causes a polyclonal proliferation
How do you get EBV?
Contact with saliva, the virus will enter at nasopharynx and disseminate to B cells
Describe the viral structure of EBV.
Enveloped double stranded DNA virus
What happens when the latent virus reactivates in B cells?
Asymptomatic shedding
What shape is the capsid?
Icosahedral
What effect does it have on lymphokines and B cell growth factors?
Stimulates
What is the Paul Bunnell test?
Agglutination of horse or sheep blood because of heterophilic antibodies
Outline EBV mechanism of infection
contact with saliva infected nasopharynx B cell infection B cell proliferation Early proteins expressed T cells activated - atypical lymphocytes and enlarged spleen
