Epstein-Barr virus in Hodgkin's disease: the example of central Tunisia

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of Epstein-Barr virus in Hodgkin disease in Tunisia through a series of 77 cases. Association with Epstein-Barr virus was demonstrated by Epstein-Barr encoded early RNA transcripts (EBER) in situ hybridization in 70 % of cases and by latent membrane protein I (LMPI) immunohistochemistry in 58.4 % of cases. EBER positive cases were more frequent in extreme age clashes ( 54 years) there was no correlation with sex, histologic sub-type and clinical stage. Our findings show a high prevalence for EBV infection in Tunisian Hodgkin's disease particularly among extreme ages