Mononucleosis News and Research

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Researchers show how Epstein-Barr virus manages to persist inside immune system's B cells

Viruses are notorious for taking over their host's operations and using them to their own advantage. But few human viruses make themselves quite as cozy as the Epstein-Barr virus, which can be found in an estimated nine out of ten humans without causing any ill effects.

3 May 2017

Preliminary study reveals promising results of new treatment for progressive MS

A small, preliminary study may show promise of a new type of treatment for progressive multiple sclerosis (MS).

20 Apr 2017

Johns Hopkins researchers find no evidence of CMV in aggressive brain cancer tissues

In a rigorous study of tumor tissue collected from 125 patients with aggressive brain cancers, researchers at Johns Hopkins say they have found no evidence of cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection and conclude that a link between the two diseases, as claimed by earlier reports, likely does not exist.

1 Mar 2017

Novel antiviral drug can protect transplant patients against CMV infections

In a significant advance in improving the safety of donor stem cell transplants, a major clinical trial led by researchers at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Brigham and Women's Hospital has shown that a novel agent can protect against the most common viral infection that patients face after transplantation.

24 Feb 2017

Researchers examine risk factors for B Cell Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma in Israeli, Palestinian populations

Israeli and Palestinian researchers have conducted a large scale epidemiological study examining risk factors for a form of Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma in these two populations.

21 Feb 2017

Research shows how protein component of Epstein-Barr virus promotes development of cancer

After an infection with the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), the virus persists in the body throughout a person's lifetime, usually without causing any symptoms.

13 Feb 2017

Jefferson researchers reveal new insight into two states of viral protein

To generate swarms of new viral particles, a virus hijacks a cell into producing masses of self-assembling cages that are then loaded with the genetic blueprint for the next infection.

31 Jan 2017

Majority of cancers can be caused by infectious agents in sub-Saharan Africa, reveals study

In 1963, Irish surgeon Denis Parson Burkitt airmailed samples of an unusual jaw tumor found in Ugandan children to his colleague, Anthony Epstein, at Middlesex Hospital in London.

26 Aug 2016

Valley fever diagnosis often overlooked by primary care physicians

For patients with pneumonia or ongoing influenza-like symptoms who live in or have visited the west or southwest United States, especially Arizona and central California, infectious diseases experts recommend physicians suspect valley fever, an often-overlooked fungal infection.

28 Jul 2016

Experts use next-generation genetic sequencing to diagnose suspected brain infections

In a proof-of-principle study, a team of physicians and bioinformatics experts at Johns Hopkins reports they were able to diagnose or rule out suspected brain infections using so called next-generation genetic sequencing of brain tissue samples.

21 Jun 2016

UGA researcher works to advance effective treatment for infectious mononucleosis

The University of Georgia's Mark Ebell wasn't impressed with research on infectious mononucleosis when he wrote his first published review on it back in the 1990s. He still isn't—a subject he discusses in the April issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.

3 May 2016

Heart failure drug has unexpected ability to block herpesvirus infection

Today, there is only one class of antiviral medicines against herpesviruses - a family of viruses that cause mononucleosis, herpes, and shingles, among other illnesses - meaning options for treating these infections are limited. If viruses become resistant to these frontline treatments, a growing problem particularly in clinical settings, there are no alternative drugs to serve as backup.

15 Mar 2016

Health Canada approves immunotherapy clinical study to treat Epstein-Barr virus-related lymphomas

Health Canada recently approved, for the first time in Canada, a clinical project for a Phase I study aimed at treating lymphomas associated with the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) through adoptive cellular immunotherapy that is specific to EBV.

18 Jan 2016

First primate model can help researchers to study mother-to-fetus CMV infections

Cytomegalovirus (CMV) is the leading infectious cause of birth defects worldwide, but scientists have been frustrated in their efforts to develop a vaccine to protect against infections.

20 Oct 2015

Helmholtz Zentrum München scientists identify how Epstein-Barr virus conceals in human cells

Scientists at Helmholtz Zentrum München have now discovered how Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) conceals itself in human cells. A main culprit for its bad visibility by the immune system is the viral protein LMP2A. As published in the scientific journal PLOS Pathogens, the protein helps EBV-infected cells hide from T cells. This camouflage through the LMP2A protein may play a major role in the causation of cancer by EBV.

16 Jun 2015

Children who eat certain types of food more likely to contract Epstein-Barr virus

A new study by UNC Charlotte scholars is shedding light on the connection between diet and a common childhood disease.

9 Apr 2015

Interactions with other infections can trigger herpes virus to reactivate, shows research

The famous slogan is "A diamond is forever," but that phrase might be better suited to herpes: Unlike most viruses, which succumb to the immune system's attack, herpes remains in the body forever, lying in wait, sometimes reactivating years later.

27 Jun 2014

High dose vitamin C therapy may have positive effect on Epstein-Barr virus infection

The Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is a member of the herpes family that targets lymphocytes and epithelial cells. While the infection is usually benign, it can in some cases lead to acute infectious mononucleosis and can impair the immune system. EBV is also linked to several malignancies. There is currently no cure for removing EBV infections and very little success treating acute EBV infection and mononucleosis with drugs.

4 Jun 2014

Researchers discover how of EBV virus takes over human cells gene regulating machinery

University of Montreal researchers have discovered how a component of the Epstein Barr (EBV) virus takes over our cells gene regulating machinery, allowing the virus to replicate itself.

10 Apr 2014

University of Montreal scientists discover molecular details of kissing disease virus attacks