Sixbey J W, Nedrud J G, Raab-Traub N, Hanes R A, Pagano J S
N Engl J Med. 1984 May 10;310(19):1225-30. doi: 10.1056/NEJM198405103101905.
Despite the well-established tropism of the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) for human B lymphocytes, the cell type within the oropharynx capable of allowing EBV replication has never been conclusively identified. Using in situ cytohybridization, we demonstrated EBV DNA in oropharyngeal epithelial cells from 10 of 12 patients with infectious mononucleosis. In duplicates of specimens found to contain cell-associated EBV DNA, we detected EBV RNA in two of four samples, using a biotin-labeled EBV DNA probe, thereby confirming the intracellular location of the viral genome. In 20 of 28 throat washings analyzed, cytohybridization results and assays for cell-free infectious virus were in agreement. In seven of the eight remaining specimens, cytohybridization identified intracellular EBV DNA in the absence of detectable extracellular virus. We conclude that the oropharyngeal epithelial cell may be the target cell type that is productively infected in infectious mononucleosis.
尽管爱泼斯坦-巴尔病毒（EBV）对人类B淋巴细胞具有明确的嗜性，但口咽内能够允许EBV复制的细胞类型从未得到最终确定。通过原位细胞杂交，我们在12例传染性单核细胞增多症患者中的10例的口咽上皮细胞中检测到了EBV DNA。在发现含有细胞相关EBV DNA的标本复制品中，我们使用生物素标记的EBV DNA探针在四个样本中的两个中检测到了EBV RNA，从而证实了病毒基因组的细胞内定位。在分析的28份咽洗液中的20份中，细胞杂交结果与无细胞感染性病毒检测结果一致。在其余8份标本中的7份中，细胞杂交在未检测到细胞外病毒的情况下鉴定出细胞内EBV DNA。我们得出结论，口咽上皮细胞可能是传染性单核细胞增多症中被有效感染的靶细胞类型。
