Epstein-Barr virus infection of infants: implications of early age of infection on viral control and risk for Burkitt lymphoma.

Since its first description by Denis Burkitt, endemic Burkitt's lymphoma (BL), the most common childhood cancer in sub-Saharan Africa, has led scientists to search for clues to the origins of this malignancy. The discovery of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) in BL cells over 50 years ago led to extensive sero-epidemiology studies and revealed that rather than being a virus restricted to areas where BL is endemic, EBV is ubiquitous in the world's population with an estimated greater than 90% of adults worldwide infected. A second pathogen, Plasmodium falciparum (P. falciparum) malaria is also linked to BL. In this review, we will discuss recent studies that indicate a role for P. falciparum malaria in dysregulating EBV infection, and increasing the risk for BL in children living where P. falciparum malaria transmission is high.