[Epidemiology of Burkitt's lymphoma in tropical areas - its relationship with malaria (author's transl)].

Epidemiology of tropical Burkitt's lymphoma shows the concomitant existence of the three following characteristics in endemic areas: - fairly dense rural population with a low standard of living; - early occurrence of primary infection by the Epstein-Barr virus (whose genome is always present in all tumour cells); - stable malaria. The social and economic level of these areas accounts for the specific features of the viral infection. Climatic factors determine permanent of prolonged transmission of malaria which could be mediated through a mitogen. Eradication of malaria could be a useful way to induce a fall in Burkitt's lymphoma incidence.