Replication of Epstein-Barr virus DNA in epithelial cells in vivo.

Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-specific complementary RNA (cRNA) was hybridized in situ to oropharyngeal epithelial cells taken from patients with infectious mononucleosis. Cells from patients shedding virus in the throat hybridized signifnicant quantities of cRNA, whereas cells from EBV-negative sources did not. The degree of hybridization indicated a large EBV genome number per infected epithelial cell and suggested that these cells were the source of virus found in the throat. This finding may explain the presence of the EBV genome in the malignant epithelial cells of nasopharyngeal carcinoma.