Epstein-Barr virus infection of the colon with inflammatory bowel disease.

Abstract

OBJECTIVE:

Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-infected cells can evoke severe host immune responses, as shown in infectious mononucleosis and EBV-associated gastric carcinoma. To investigate the possible pathological role of EBV in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), we tested for the presence of EBV in the colon in IBD patients.

METHODS:

Surgically resected colonic specimens of 11 patients with Crohn's disease, five patients with ulcerative colitis, nine noninflammatory controls (disease-free area of the colorectal carcinoma), and 10 appendicitis cases were tested using highly sensitive in situ hybridization for EBV-encoded small RNA1 (EBER-1).

RESULTS:

EBER-1 was detected in 63.6% of Crohn's disease cases and 60% of ulcerative colitis cases, but not at all in noninflammatory controls and appendicitis cases. EBER-1-positive cells were very rare in the noninflammatory areas of colonic specimens from IBD patients. EBER-1-positive cells were nonepithelial cells (mainly B lymphocytes and a few histiocyte-shaped cells) located in erosive or ulcerative areas of the colonic specimens.

CONCLUSION:

The limited presence of EBV-infected cells in the diseased areas of IBD colonic specimens indicated that EBV infection may be related to such diseases.

• Authors: H Yanai, N Shimizu, S Nagasaki, N Mitani, K Okita
• Journal: The American journal of gastroenterology (Am J Gastroenterol) Vol. 94 Issue 6 Pg. 1582-6 (Jun 1999) ISSN: 0002-9270 [Print] United States
• PMID: 10364028 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't)

Chemical References

• Epstein-Barr virus encoded RNA 1
• RNA, Viral

Topics

• Adult
• Aged
• Colitis, Ulcerative (metabolism, pathology, virology)
• Colon (metabolism, pathology, virology)
• Crohn Disease (metabolism, pathology, virology)
• Epstein-Barr Virus Infections
• Female
• Herpesvirus 4, Human (isolation & purification)
• Humans
• In Situ Hybridization
• Male
• Middle Aged
• RNA, Viral (metabolism)
• Reference Values