Abstract
Introduction Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is an extremely efficient virus infecting the majority of the world'sadult population (Rickinson and Kieff, 2001). Following primary infection, EBV persists in the infected host as a lifelong asymptomatic infection. Early in the course of primary infection, EBV infects B-lymphocytes, although it is not known where B-lymphocytes are infected and whether this involves epithelial cells of the upper respiratory tract. To achieve long-term persistence in vivo, EBV colonizes the memory B-cell pool where it establishes latent infection, which is characterized by the expression of a limited subset of virus genes, known as the “latent” genes (Thorley-Lawson, 2001). There are several well-described forms of EBV latency, each of which is utilized by the virus at different stages of the virus life cycle and which are also reflected in the patterns of latency observed in the various EBV-associated malignancies (Rickinson and Kieff, 2001; Young and Murray, 2003). Furthermore, during its life cycle EBV must periodically enter the replicative cycle in order to generate infectious virus for transmission to other susceptible hosts, although it is also not clear whether this occurs in B-lymphocytes or in other cell types of the oropharynx (Rickinson and Kieff, 2001). This chapter describes the EBV latency and replicative programs utilized by the virus as a means to understand how the virus infects and then establishes persistence in the host.
Original language | English |
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Title of host publication | Human Herpesviruses |
Subtitle of host publication | Biology, Therapy, and Immunoprophylaxis |
Publisher | Cambridge University Press |
Pages | 461-489 |
Number of pages | 29 |
ISBN (Electronic) | 9780511545313 |
ISBN (Print) | 0521827140, 9780521827140 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 1 Jan 2007 |
Externally published | Yes |