Presence of Epstein-Barr virus in cutaneous lesions of mycosis fungoides and Sézary syndrome
Dreno, B.; Celerier, P.; Fleischmann, M.; Bureau, B.; Litoux, P.
Acta Dermato-Venereologica 74(5): 355-357
1994
ISSN/ISBN: 0001-5555 PMID: 7817670 Document Number: 434449
It has been suggested that prolonged antigenic stimulation contributes t the development of epidermotropic cutaneous T cell lymphoma (CTCL), mycosis fungoides and Sezary syndrome, characterized by a cutaneous infiltration of proliferating helper T cells. Since Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) antibodies were increased in CTCL sera, we investigated a possible etiologic role for EBV in epidermotropic CTL by looking for the EBV genome in 25 cutaneous biopsies of mycosis fungoides of Sezary syndrome and 12 reactional inflammatory skin lesions. The use of non-isotopic in situ hybridization procedure based on the detection of Epstein-Barr encoded RNAs with biotinylated oligonucleotide probes (EBER) revealed 32% of the lesions with CTCL to be positive for EBV (3 in dermis, 3 in epidermis, 2 both in dermis and epidermis), as compared to no detection of the EBV genome in the reactional inflammatory skin lesions Moreover, a combined hybridization (EBER probe) and immunochemistry technique (anti-CD3 or anti-Kil monoclonal antibody) permitted the identification of EBV in T cells of dermis and in keratinocytes, respectively. The identification of EBV in epidermotropic CTCL suggests that this virus could play a role in the development of these CTCLs, either as an etiological agent or more probably as a chronic activating agent. Indeed, the infection of keratinocytes by EBV could activate them and so induce the production of in situ cytokines (IL1a, IL6, TNFa) playing a role in the development of tumoral infiltrate.