Infectious Mononucleosis Followed by Burkitt's Tumor

Abstract

A 17-year-old American girl developed a tumor histologically and cytochemically identical to African Burkitt's tumor 16 months after having infectious mononucleosis. As the Epstein-Barr (EB) virus has been implicated as the causal agent of both diseases, studies to identify anti-EB virus antibody and EB virus antigen were performed. The patient was found to produce antibodies to EB virus. Although EB virus antigen could not be detected in any tissue taken directly from the patient, viral antigen was detected in buffy coat material after establishment in long-term culture. These studies indicate that there is either a different causal agent for these two diseases or that malignant transformation may have occurred during the acute phase of infectious mononucleosis, and 16 months later the tumor became clinically recognizable.