Abstract
Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is associated with more than 90% of Burkitt’s lymphoma (BL) in the African regions of endemicity and less frequently (15%–20%) with sporadic BL occurring worldwide (reviewed by Rickinson and Kieff 1996). The most consistent finding in BL, whether EBV-infected or not, is the juxtaposition of the c-myc locus to the immunoglobulin (Ig) H enhancer through a reciprocal translocation t(8;14) and, more rarely, to the Igκ locus t(2;8) or the Igλ locus t(8;22). This feature led to the hypothesis that this translocation results in constitutive activation of the c-myc gene, which seems to be a key step in the development of BL (Klein 1981). On the other hand, the role of EBV is still obscure.