Epstein-Barr virus gastritis: rare or rarely sampled? A case report

Gastritis related to Epstein-Barr virus infection has been rarely reported in the literature. However, one population, arguably, most likely to be infected with the virus (young patients) is unlikely to undergo major diagnostic procedures that would yield pathological specimens containing the characteristic findings. Thus, the disease may be rarely sampled rather than truly rare. Furthermore, any patient with Epstein-Barr virus- related gastritis may manifest clinical and histological findings that can mimic hematolymphoid neoplasia. Therefore, care must be taken and a high level of clinical suspicion employed to avoid a misdiagnosis of lymphoma in these cases. Such a case is reported, with clinicopathological findings and follow-up information indicative of Epstein-Barr virus as the etiology of a clinically and histopathologically significant gastritis containing large, atypical immunoblast-like cells.