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Abstract
The Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) was discovered 36 years ago by electron microscopy of cells cultured from Burkitt's lymphoma tissue by Epstein, Achong, and Barr.1 Four years later, in 1968, EBV was shown to be the etiologic agent of heterophile-positive infectious mononucleosis.2 EBV DNA was detected in tissues from patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma in 1970.3 In the 1980s, EBV was found to be associated with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and oral hairy leukoplakia in patients with the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS).4 ,5 Since then, EBV DNA has been found in tissues from other cancers, including T-cell lymphomas and Hodgkin's disease.6 ,7 EBV is one of the most successful viruses, infecting over 90 percent of humans and persisting for the lifetime of the person.