Epstein-Barr (EB) virus infection in homosexual men in London.

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Abstract
Twenty-five homosexual men from London, 14 of whom had persistent lymphadenopathy and 11 of whom did not, were tested for immunity to Epstein-Barr (EB) virus. All yielded positive results to serological tests for the viral capsid antibody and 11 had antibodies to the early antigen. Thirteen of 17 were excreting virus into the saliva; culture of peripheral blood mononuclear cells from 2 of these patients showed no detectable regression induced by T cells that was specific to EB virus. No differences were found between the patients with and without lymphadenopathy. Peripheral blood B cells from 6 patients with hypergammaglobulinemia were double stained for cytoplasmic Ig and EB viral nuclear antigen and in all cases the activated B cells producing Ig did not contain EB nuclear antigen. Similarly, lymph node biopsy specimens from 5 patients showed no cells with EB nuclear antigen. Although homosexual men have a high incidence of reactivated infection with EB virus, this viral infection apparently is not the cause of the polyclonal activation of B cells seen in peripheral blood and is not implicated in the etiology of the lymphadenopathy found in these men.