Discovery Shows How Pervasive Epstein-Barr Virus Could Be Thwarted

New, early findings by University of Florida Health researchers show how the Epstein-Barr virus’s advance could be thwarted.

For millions, the Epstein-Barr virus is a lifelong lurker. It can sit dormant for years, sometimes flaring up to cause cancers of the immune system or other serious diseases. To launch its attacks, the virus spreads by hijacking certain genetic machinery.

The researchers focused on the precise moment when the virus pivots from transcribing its genetic sequence and begins replicating. Stopping that sequential process can end its ability to proliferate, they found.

The research sheds new light on longtime questions about how the Epstein-Barr virus and other similar herpesviruses replicate, said Sumita Bhaduri-McIntosh, M.D., Ph.D., a professor and chief of pediatric infectious diseases in the UF College of Medicine’s department of pediatrics and a member of the UF Health Cancer Center. The findings were published recently in the journal Nucleic Acids Research.

“If that transition within the virus’s genome doesn’t occur smoothly and efficiently, the virus cannot replicate itself. And if it cannot replicate itself, that’s a dead end. Interfering with that process may ultimately be beneficial for preventing or treating diseases,” Bhaduri-McIntosh said.

Read more about Discovery Shows How Pervasive Epstein-Barr Virus Could Be Thwarted.