Demonstration of Epstein-Barr virus localized in the colonic and ileal mucosa of a patient with ulcerative colitis

Abstract

Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infects the tonsillar and peripheral blood B lymphocytes after primary infection of the oropharyngeal epithelial cells, including those of the salivary gland epithelium. 1 Kieff ED Infectious mononucleosis (Epstein-Barr virus infection). in: 19th edition. Cecil textbook of medicine. WB Saunders, New York1992: 1838-1840 Google Scholar Although Oikawa 2 Oikawa O. Studies on tissue distribution and expression of Epstein-Barr virus using polymerase chain reaction. Hokkaido-ishi. 1995; 70 ([Japanese]): 729-742 PubMed Google Scholar reported that EBV existed frequently in the oropharyngeal mucosa, tongue, salivary glands, esophagus, stomach, lymph nodes, and spleen, which was proved by the reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method, there have been no reports on localization of EBV in the human colonic mucosa. Recently, we encountered a patient with ulcerative colitis, the onset of which seemed to coincide with active EBV and human herpesvirus 6 (HHV6) infection. We herein demonstrate the first case of EBV localization in the epithelial cells of the rectal and the terminal ileal mucosa.