Epstein-Barr virus

• Study reveals how ‘EBV’ virus that spreads through saliva can lead to cancer.

About Epstein-Barr virus (EBV):

• It is one of the most common human viruses in the world.
• It spreads through bodily fluids, especially saliva (spit).
• Symptoms: Fatigue, fever, inflamed throat, swollen lymph nodes in the neck, enlarged spleen, swollen liver, rash.
• EBV can cause infectious mononucleosis, also called mono, and other illnesses.
• There is no vaccine to protect against EBV
• Most EBV infections are small and transient, however, in some cases,long-lasting latent infections, i.e., infections by an organism that has for some time been inactive in the body, are associated with a number of cancers as well as several chronic inflammatory disorders.
• The researchers found that the virus induces cleavage of human chromosome 11, and triggers genomic instability, which can activate a leukaemia-causing oncogene and reduce the function of a major tumour suppressor.