Detection of Epstein–Barr Viral Genomes in Reed–Sternberg Cells of Hodgkin's Disease

Abstract

We used slot blot hybridization, Southern blot hybridization, and in situ hybridization to investigate the presence of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) genomes in biopsy tissues from patients with Hodgkin's disease. Slot blot hybridization performed on DNA of tissue specimens from 16 patients revealed that biopsy tissue from 3 (19 percent) contained EBV DNA. Southern blot hybridization with a DNA probe containing the 500-base-pair tandem repeated sequences located at the termini of the EBV genome confirmed the findings of the slot blot hybridization in the three positive tissue specimens and indicated the monoclonality of the EBV-infected cells in such tissues. In situ hybridization performed on the three positive specimens and on two from a previous study localized EBV nucleic acid to the Reed-Sternberg cells and variants in all specimens, with intense hybridization to Reed-Sternberg cells in two, less intense but consistent hybridization to Reed-Sternberg cells in two, and focal hybridization to Reed-Sternberg cells in one. We conclude that EBV genomes are present within Reed-Sternberg cells and variants in some patients with Hodgkin's disease and that the infected cells are monoclonal.

The increase of Hodgkin's disease incidence among young adults

“…These observed trends were able in only 18 -49% of cases. [7][8][9][10] The presence of the primarily associated with the nodular sclerosis histo-EBV genome is primarily associated with the mixed logic type. Our observation of an increase in young adult Hodgkin's disease incidence in Connecticut is cellularity subtype 11 .…”

Epstein–Barr virus and Hodgkin’s lymphoma in Cairo, Egypt

“…-Europe [8,13,[31][32][33][34][35][36][37][38][39][40][41]; between 27% of cases in Sweden [41] and 56% of cases in Italy [13] were positive, with a higher rate in two reports: 79% in Switzerland [31] and 91% in Greece [8] -USA [12,[42][43][44]: between 25% and 65% of cases were positive -Australia [8]: a high frequency of positive cases (69%).…”

Epstein-Barr virus–associated lymphoproliferative disorders

“…In 1987, EBV DNA was initially detected by Weiss et al in Hodgkin lymphoma specimens using Southern blot hybridization studies [24]; however, localizing EBV DNA to HRS cells was not determined until a couple of years later by using in situ hybridization technique [25]. Subsequently, single-cell PCR has also confirmed the presence of EBV DNA in individual HRS cells [26].…”