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Introduction

Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) was discovered in 1964 by electron microscopy of suspension cultures of African Burkitt lymphoma cells (51).

Four years later, EBV was conclusively linked to infectious mononucleosis, which is its most common clinical manifestation (78). The unifying and perplexing characteristic of human herpesviruses, including EBV, is that acquisition results in lifelong infection after the initial viral replication has been contained (172). This review describes advances in the clinical, virologic, and immunologic aspects of primary EBV infection, which have been the focus of our research for the past decade. We discuss the spectrum of clinical illness due to primary EBV infection, risk factors for acquisition and severity of infectious mononucleosis, treatment options for EBV infections, and prospects for a vaccine. Understanding the pathogenesis of EBV infection and applying that knowledge to patient care are of great interest to basic and translational scientists and also to clinicians, especially those in family practice, pediatrics, and internal medicine.

Source:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3021204/