Demonstration of Epstein-Barr virus in scrape material of lateral border of tongue in heart transplant patients by negative staining electron microscopy.

Scrape material from the lateral border of the tongue of 50 heart transplant patients and 20 controls was studied for the presence of EBV by negative staining electron microscopy. Mild oral hairy leukoplakia was observed in two cases. Particles of the herpes virus were found in 20% of the specimens. Controls were negative for EBV. The study has shown that EBV may be expressed at the lateral border of the tongue during immunosuppression, occasionally resulting in the clinical appearance of hairy leukoplakia.