[A quantitative analysis of the cells infected with Epstein-Barr virus in the peripheral blood mononuclear cells derived from the patients with infectious mononucleosis].

The quantitative analysis of the cells infected with Epstein-Barr virus was performed on the peripheral blood mononuclear cells from the patients with infectious mononucleosis, by using in situ hybridization with Epstein-Barr virus encoded small nuclear RNA1 (EBER1). An alkaline-phosphatase conjugated oligonucleotide probe complementary to EBER1 was used as an antisense probe, while oligonucleotide DNA probe compatible with the sequence of EBER1 was used as a sense probe, control probe. The EBER1 positive cells on the slide-glass were enumerated microscopically. In situ hybridization revealed that 50,000 peripheral blood mononuclear cells from the patients in the acute phase of infectious mononucleosis contained 35 +/- 36 cells infected with Epstein-Barr virus (n = 11). The cells infected with Epstein-Barr virus apparently decreased in the convalescence of all the patients with infectious mononucleosis and the mean of the cells infected with Epstein-Barr virus was 3 +/- 4 in the convalescence (n = 6) (p < 0.02). On the other hand, no positive cells were detected in healthy individuals with past-infection of Epstein-Barr virus (n = 10) or without any previous Epstein-Barr virus infection (n = 11). The striking increase of the cells with Epstein-Barr virus genome was clearly demonstrated in the peripheral blood mononuclear cells from the patients with infectious mononucleosis.