Epstein-Barr Virus Coinfection in COVID-19

• Main Authors: Asim Nadeem MD, Krithika Suresh MD, Hassan Awais MD, Saba Waseem MD
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: SAGE Publishing 2021-08-01
• Series: Journal of Investigative Medicine High Impact Case Reports
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.1177/23247096211040626

Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), a member of the herpes virus family, is a causative agent for infectious mononucleosis in young adults. It has an asymptomatic and subclinical distribution in about 90% to 95% of the world population based on seropositivity. EBV is associated with various lymphomas, nasopharyngeal carcinoma, and in immunocompromised states can give rise to aggressive lymphoproliferative disorders. Symptomatic patients mostly present with mild hepatitis, rash, oral symptoms, lymphadenopathy, and generalized malaise. Recently with the COVID-19 (coronavirus disease-2019) pandemic, hepatitis has been found to be related to acute EBV and cytomegalovirus reactivation versus acute infection in the absence of other major causes. We describe a case of EBV coinfection in a patient with resolving mild COVID-19 infection.