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Updated: Aug 12, 2026

Identifying Dysregulated Genes Induced by Kaposi's Sarcoma-associated Herpesvirus (KSHV)
Published on: September 14, 2010
Kawasaki disease, Epstein-Barr virus and coronary artery aneurysms
1Department of Histopathology, Southampton University Hospital NHS Trust.
Insights
Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infection was not confirmed as the cause of coronary artery lesions in a child with suspected Kawasaki disease. Unusual immune responses to EBV may cause severe damage in early childhood.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Cardiology
- Infectious Diseases
- Immunology
Background:
- Kawasaki disease is a leading cause of acquired heart disease in children.
- Coronary artery lesions are a serious complication of Kawasaki disease.
- Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) has been investigated as a potential etiological factor in Kawasaki disease.
Aim:
To establish whether infection with Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) contributed to the development of coronary artery lesions in a six year old child with an aneurysm and stenoses of the coronary arteries and suspected Kawasaki disease.
Methods:
Postmortem paraffin wax sections of the coronary artery and myocardium were examined by in situ hybridisation for expression of EBER-1 (EBV-encoded RNA-1). Positive controls consisted of an EBV positive case of Hodgkin disease and a case of posttransplantation lymphoma.
Results:
No EBER-1 positive cells were identified in either myocardium or walls of the coronary artery.
Conclusions:
Although EBV has been implicated in the aetiology of Kawasaki disease and development of coronary artery lesions, this process was not confirmed in this patient. It is likely that an unusual immunological reaction to a primary EBV infection with suspected deregulation of T helper cell activity leads to severe coronary artery damage in early childhood.
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