Endemic and sporadic cases of Epstein-Barr virus-positive Burkitt's lymphoma: immunological characterization of derived cell lines.

Abstract

Burkitt’s lymphoma (BL) is a tumour which is endemic in regions of Africa and New Guinea where temperature and rainfall are high and malaria is holoendemic. BL also occurs worldwide (sporadic BL), but at a much lower incidence, and showing no association with specific climatic or geographical features. Some 98% of endemic tumours carry multiple copies of the Epstein-Barr (EB) virus genome, and it is possible that this virus has a causal relationship with BL. However, only 20% of sporadic cases are associated with the EB virus, and this would suggest that the endemic and sporadic forms of the disease may differ in pathogenesis.