Site of Epstein-Barr virus replication in the oropharynx

Cells and cell-free material in saliva, parotid secretions, and throat washings from patients with acute infectious mononucleosis and patients undergoing tonsillectomy were assayed for the presence of infectious Epstein-Barr (EBV) virus. The agent was invariably present in cell-free form in saliva; neither infectious virus nor viral antigens were found in the cells. Tonsillar lymphocytes from eight patients were also free of EBV. In 10 of 40 patients virus was recovered in secretions from parotid-gland orifices or ducts. These findings suggest that the salivary glands are the site of EBV production in the oropharynx.