Epstein-Barr virus
Getting to know the virus
EBV facts
95 %
of the world’s population is infected with the
Epstein-Barr virus, but few people know it.
+ de 30
pathologies
related diseases: cancers, autoimmune diseases, neurodegenerative diseases….
Persistent
Mainly hosted in B lymphocytes, EBV remains in the body for life. It does not disappear.
Reactivatable
Normally “dormant” under the control of the immune system, it can be reactivated if the immune system fails.
Mononucleosis is the primary infection
It is often mistaken for other infections and is sometimes asymptomatic.
Under-diagnosed
Mononucleosis is the primary infection. It is often mistaken for other infections and is sometimes asymptomatic.
So widespread and yet so little known
Do the test around you: who knows about the Epstein-Barr virus? Hardly anyone! And yet it affects us all! Little by little, because of its recently demonstrated involvement in Covid longus and multiple sclerosis, EBV is emerging from anonymity. Let’s take action to raise its profile and ensure that this virus is considered in the light of the impact it has on our lives!
EBV, a persistent virus of the Herpesviridae family, acts silently, mainly by altering the function of a key component of our immune defences: B lymphocytes. Once in the body, it remains in the host’s cells for life. Like all viruses, it seeks to spread and multiply to ensure its survival. Throughout its life, it alternates between phases of latency (dormancy) and reactivation, depending on the host’s immune status.
EBV at the heart of our immunity
The Epstein-Barr virus inserts itself into the genome and activates the cell in such a way as to suppress apoptosis, i.e. spontaneous death: it makes the cell proliferate and prevents it from dying. This mutation affects cells destined to live for a short time, such as white blood cells. These cells are effectively “immortalised” by the Epstein-Barr virus.
EBV can also cause damage to the mucous membranes, triggering malabsorption of sugars and leading to dysbiosis and inflammation, resulting in an overall imbalance in immune function.
Those exposed to EBV in childhood usually have mild symptoms, if any. People first exposed to EBV in their teens or adulthood usually develop mononucleosis, a more severe disease with severe fatigue, a sore throat, low-grade fever, swollen lymph nodes, headache and an enlarged spleen. The syndrome gradually disappears, but the resulting fatigue may last for a long time.
Once the initial EBV infection has cleared – whether in childhood or adulthood – the virus remains dormant in the salivary glands and other lymphoid tissues. However, any immune system failure can reactivate the virus.
EBV, The EveryBody’s Virus
Explanations by Dr. Emmanuel Drouet
EBV and humanity evolve together.
If you want to understand the immune system,
study the Epstein-Barr virus.