High prevalence of Epstein-Barr virus in the Reed-Sternberg cells of Hodgkin's disease occurring in Peru

Abstract

The Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) has been implicated in the pathogenesis of Hodgkin‧s disease (HD). This study was undertaken to determine whether the association of EBV with HD showed geographical variation, as in Burkitt‧s lymphoma. We studied 32 formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded cases of HD occurring in Peru. EBV DNA-RNA in situ hybridization was performed using a 30-base biotinylated antisense oligonucleotide complementary to the EBER1 gene of EBV. EBV immunohistochemistry was also performed, using a monoclonal antibody (MoAb) to the latent membrane protein (LMP1) of EBV. Identification of the precise cellular subset staining with EBV was accomplished via double-labeling with MoAbs directed against Reed-Sternberg cells (LeuM1/CD15) and B cells (L26/CD20). EBV RNA was identified in all or virtually all of the Reed- Sternberg cells and variants in 30 of the 32 (94%) cases of HD by in situ hybridization. LMP1 expression was identified in 83% of the EBER1- positive cases. Double-labeling studies confirmed the localization of EBV RNA to CD15-expressing Hodgkin‧s cells. This study found an extremely high prevalence of EBV in Peruvian HD, in contrast to the much lower percentage of EBV-associated cases of HD occurring in “Western” patients.

Expression of epstein-barr virus in patients with hodgkin's disease in taiwan

“…Association between HD and EBV has been demonstrated in epidemiologic, serologic, and molecular biologic studies 6‐12. In particular, in developing countries with high incidences of HD,13‐15 the detection rate of EBV in HD is even higher. However, no such association is observed in the developed countries, in spite of the higher incidence of HD,24‐34 which makes up a larger percentage of all the malignant lymphomas occurring in these countries 1…”

“…However, the frequency of EBV infection in patients with HD varies widely. Although it could be detected in nearly 100% of patients with HD in developing countries13‐15 as well as in Orientals,16‐19 it was only detected in approximately 45% of HD cases in developed countries.…”

Human herpesvirus 6.

“…In two other ISH studies of HD patients (19,90), EBV nucleic acids were detected in RS cells of 94 to 100% tissue specimens from Latin American children but only in 36% of those from U.S. children (19). The combined results of these and many other investigations of the frequency of association of EBV and HD have suggested that variations in frequency are linked to geography and socioeconomic criteria, age, ethnicity, immunosuppression, and histologic subtypes (19,66,88,90,124,206,212,216,245,352,369,375,393,395,518,522,544,572). By analogy to EBV, differences between studies in the observed frequencies of detection of HHV-6 in specimens from HD patients might result from any of a variety of factors.…”

Exposure to Animals and Selected Risk Factors Among Canadian Farm Residents with Hodgkin’s Disease, Multiple Myeloma, or Soft Tissue Sarcoma

“…There has been a decline in incidence rates among the elderly due to a decline in misclassification between HD and NHL. 57 The known or suspected risk factors for HD relate to occupational exposures among farmers or forestry workers, 59 socioeconomic status; 60 medical history, including late onset of certain childhood viral diseases, 61 infectious mononucleosis, 62 or Epstein-Barr virus positivity [63][64][65] , previous cancer, 66 organ transplant, 67 and HIV or AIDS; 68 a positive family history of cancer or immune deficiency in a first-degree relative 69 -71; and a dose-response pattern for a diagnosis of lymphoma/leukemia in any first-degree relative, which increases if a sibling has HD. 72,73 Epidemiologic studies of hematopoietic and lymphatic tumors in association with occupational exposure to animals have produced conflicting results including positive, negative and no effect.…”