Epstein-Barr virus load in cerebrospinal fluid of patients with chronic active Epstein-Barr virus infection.

Chronic active Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infection is a rare chronic mononucleosis syndrome involving clonally proliferating EBV-infected T-/NK-cells. EBV DNA was quantified in nonpleocytotic cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of 9 patients. Three patients with neurologic and/or neuroimaging abnormalities showed high CSF copy numbers. In 1 patient, CSF copy number exceeded the peripheral blood value. CSF EBV-load may predict the central nervous system involvement of EBVT-/NK-cells.