EBV Conference 2008 Guangzhou - Baylor College of Medicine

194 (RegID: 1243; 1244)
Astrid Greijer
Institution: VU University Medical Center
e-mail: ae.greijer@vumc.nl
DETAILED CHARACTERISATION OF EPSTEIN-BARR VIRUS (EBV) INFECTED CELLS IN
THE CIRCULATION OF ORGAN TRANSPLANT RECIPIENTS WITH PERSISTENT HIGH
EBV DNA LOADS.
AE Greijer, SJ Stevens, SA Verkuijlen, H Juwana, SC Fleig, EAM Verschuuren, BG Hepkema, JM
Middeldorp
Posterabstract:
Post-transplant lymphoproliferative disease (PTLD) is a diverse group of mostly EBV-driven B-cell
lymphomas occurring after solid organ or stem cell transplantation. In this study, solid organ transplant
(SOT) patients (n=16) with chronic high levels of EBV without developing PTLD were analysed for EBV
RNA profiles and the localization of the viral DNA in the circulation. In these SOT recipients,
circulating EBV DNA load was always cell-associated, as plasma was EBV DNA-negative or low in
presence of high loads in whole blood. FACS sorting of PBMC’s revealed that EBV DNA was
predominantly confined to the B-cell population. In two patients EBV DNA could be detected in the T
cells, both CD4 and CD8, and in the monocytes. RNA patterns of these chronic active infected EBV
patients showed only presence of the BARTs. Transcripts of LMP2a were weakly positive in 3 samples
of which two had simultaneously LMP1 RNA expression. The expression of LMP1 and 2a were not
related with high viral loads in these patients. RNA of EBNA1, LMP2b and ZEBRA remained negative,
suggesting absence of cell division (EBNA1-) and lytic virus production (ZEBRA-) in the circulation of
these patients.
In conclusion, chronic EBV infected SOT recipients have cell-associated EBV DNA, mainly located to
B-cells. Our data indicate that EBV infected cells are generated and replicate outside the circulation and
occasionally comprise leukocyte populations other than B-cells.
EBV Conference 2008 Guangzhou
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