hu-PBL-SCID mice: an in vivo model of Epstein-Barr virus-dependent lymphoproliferative disease.

The Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) exists in most humans as a lifelong latent infection established in host B cells after a primary viral encounter. In immunosuppressed individuals, such as post-transplant patients, the presence of EBV-infected B cells may lead to lymphoproliferative disease. Injection of human peripheral blood lymphocytes from EBV-positive donors into mice with severe combined immunodeficiency induces human lymphoproliferative disease in the recipient closely resembling that of human post-transplant patients. This xenochimeric human-mouse model is increasingly being used to elucidate the mechanisms of EBV-specific lymphomagenesis and to assess novel therapeutic approaches.