Adjacent Words

Epstein-Barr virus definitions

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WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: the herpes virus that causes infectious mononucleosis; associated with specific cancers in Africa and China [syn: Epstein-Barr virus, EBV]

Merriam Webster's

noun Etymology: Michael Anthony Epstein b1921 and Yvonne M. Barr b1932 English pathologists Date: 1968 a herpesvirus (species Human herpesvirus 4 of the genus Lymphocryptovirus) that causes infectious mononucleosis and is associated with Burkitt's lymphoma and nasopharyngeal carcinoma — abbreviation EBV

Britannica Concise

Herpesvirus, named for two of its discoverers, that is the major cause of acute infectious mononucleosis. The virus infects only salivary-gland cells and one type of white blood cell. Saliva is the only bodily fluid that has been proved to contain infectious EBV particles. In less-developed nations, infection with EBV occurs in almost all children before the age of 5 and is not associated with any symptoms. When EBV infection is delayed until the teen or early adult years, the body commonly responds differently, resulting in infectious mononucleosis. Other, rarer disorders have also been linked with Epstein-Barr virus, incl. certain cancers. There are no specific treatments for any form of EBV infection, and no vaccines have been developed.