Easily spread virus exploits genomic weaknesses: Study

Researchers have described in a study how the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), the ubiquitous virus easily spread through bodily fluids, not only exploits genomic weaknesses to cause cancer, but also reduces the body’s ability to suppress it. The researchers at the University of California (UC) San Diego, US, said that more than 90 per cent of the world’s population has been infected by the EBV, usually during childhood, and that while most of the infections it causes are mild and pass, the virus persists in the body, becoming latent or inactive, sometimes reactivating. The EBV spreads easily through bodily fluids, primarily saliva, through activities such kissing, sharing drinks or using the same eating utensils. The researchers’ findings showed ”how a virus can induce cleavage of human chromosome 11, initiating a cascade of genomic instability that can potentially activate a leukemia-causing oncogene and inactivate a major tumour suppressor,” said senior study author Don Cleveland, professor at UC San Diego School of Medicine.