Determining EBV load: current best practice and future requirements

EBV, a gammaherpesvirus and the pathogenic agent for infectious mononucleosis, is also associated with a broad spectrum of lymphoid and epithelial malignancies in immunocompetent and immunosuppressed individuals. EBV-DNA-load measurement by PCR has been shown to be a potential tool for the diagnosis of these diseases, a prognostic factor of their outcome and a successful method to monitor immunosuppressed patients. Since the end of 2011, there is an international WHO standard reference for EBV quantification available; however, many questions still remain; for instance about the optimal amplified region of the EBV genome, or the best-used specimen for EBV detection. Additionally, the optimal specimen and amplified region may vary in different malignancies. In this article, the authors review the different methods to measure EBV load, focus on the best-used specimen for the different EBV-associated malignancies and discuss future requirements and opportunities for EBV-load measurement.