Hairy leukoplakia. A new disease of the oral mucosa

Is murine gammaherpesvirus-68 (MHV-68) a suitable immunotoxicological model for examining immunomodulatory drug-associated viral recrudescence?

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Oral Hairy Leukoplakia

“…Topical 0.1% tretinoin may be applied with a cotton‐tipped applicator once daily to remove the clinically white areas 27,28 . This palliative therapy removes white areas that are objectionable to some patients and is generally well tolerated.…”

“…Antiviral therapy has been useful in eliminating OHL in these patients. The antiviral agents effective in suppressing the clinical expression of EBV‐associated OHL include oral acyclovir, 28–30 the acyclovir prodrug desiclovir available experimentally, 31 and ganciclovir used to treat cytomegalovirus retinitis 32 . Large‐dose oral acyclovir, initially 800 mg, 5 times daily, has been most successful in initiating remission of OHL (Fig.…”

“…OHL is characterized by periods of resolution and exacerbation 1,28 . Some patients report that stress will precipitate recurrence.…”

Capacity of Epstein–Barr virus to infect monocytes and inhibit their development into dendritic cells is affected by the cell type supporting virus replication

“…Whether EBV replicates in oropharyngeal epithelial cells during primary infection remains a matter of controversy (Sixbey et al, 1984;Niedobitek et al, 1997Niedobitek et al, , 2000. It is clear, however, that EBV can replicate in polarized epithelial cells in vitro and in immunocompromised individuals with hairy leukoplakia, a benign, hyperplastic, epithelial lesion that is composed of EBV-infected cells producing large amounts of the virus (Greenspan et al, 1985;Conant, 1987).…”