Studying Epstein-Barr Virus Pathologies and Immune Surveillance by Reconstructing EBV Infection in Mice

Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is a γ herpes virus endemic in humans and transforming human B lymphocytes. It causes a variety of human pathologies ranging from infectious mononucleosis upon acute infection to EBV-driven B-cell lymphomas. In humans, EBV-infected cells are under powerful immune surveillance by T and NK cells. If this immune surveillance is compromised as in immunosuppressed (AIDS- or posttransplantation) patients, the virus can spread...