Detection of the epstein-barr-virus by the polymerase chain-reaction in immunosuppressed and immunocompromised patients.

DNA extracted from the blood of immunosuppressed and immunocompromised individuals and from patients with infectious mononucleosis, leukaemias and lymphomas were studied using the Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) technique. The oligonucleotide primers used for the detection of the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) amplify a 375bp sequence from the EcoRI B fragment of the viral genome. EBV specific sequences were amplified from the blood samples of 18 out of 65 patients, most of which were transplant patients (9 out of 31). The results confirmed the association of EBV with clinical disorders in immunodeficient and immunocompromised patients and the importance of PCR method in routine diagnosis.