Kissing the Epstein-Barr virus goodbye?
Activity 2
Diseases caused by the Epstein-Barr virus
The Epstein-Barr virus is responsible for a number of different diseases.
- List the diseases caused by the Epstein-Barr virus.
Glandular fever can be transferred from one person to another via saliva, and is classed as an infectious disease.
- Would cancers caused by the Epstein-Barr virus be classed as infectious diseases? Explain your answer.
Teachers notes
Diseases caused by the Epstein-Barr virus include glandular fever, Burkitt’s lymphoma, nasopharyngeal carcinoma, post-transplant lymphoproliferative disease, oral hairy leukoplakia, and possibly some forms of Hodgkin’s disease
Epstein-Barr virus gives rise to cancer in some people but not in others. It appears that if the correct immune response does not develop in an infected individual, then that person is at risk of developing cancer. There is also some evidence that genetic factors play a role in whether or not an infected individual develops cancer.
Students should be able to answer these questions based on material in the key text. You could hand out copies of the key text and set this activity as a small assignment.
Posted November 1997.