Abstract
A prospective study of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infections in children with acutelymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) was undertaken to determine whether EBV is etiologically related to ALL. Five of 12 untreated patients had no serologic evidence for EBV infection at the onset or during the course of leukemia. One infant with congenital leukemia showed a progressive decline in EBV antibody titer to undetectable levels, suggestive of loss of passively acquired maternal antibodies. Six other patients had EBV antibodies at onset, and the titers did not change during follow-up. Lymphoblastoid cell lines were established from three of the seven EBV antibody-positive children and from none of the EBV antibody-negative patients. In addition, two patients with ALL in remission induced by chemotherapy developed infectious mononucleosis. EBV antibodies appeared in their sera and EBV-containing lymphoblastoid cell lines were cultured from them. The results of this study suggest that EBV is not etiologically related to ALL.
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