Nonhuman primate models for EBV infection, 2014, Wang

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3713193/

Dr. Fred Wang, Harvard Medical School, Brigham & Women’s Hospital, Medicine and Microbiology & Immunobiology

Abstract
Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is a human herpesvirus that infects nearly all humans by adulthood and is associated with a spectrum of human diseases including Infectious Mononucleosis, Hodgkin Lymphoma, Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma, and lymphomas in immunosuppressed hosts. Nonhuman primate (NHP) animal models provide important experimental systems for studying EBV infection.

There has been significant progress in studies of EBV-related herpesviruses, or lymphocryptoviruses (LCV), that naturally infect New and Old World NHPs. Prototypes for New and Old World LCV have been cloned and sequenced, humoral and cellular immune responses to LCV in NHP have been characterized, experimental LCV infections in naïve rhesus macaques have been successful, and a genetic system to manipulate specific viral genes in rhesus LCV (rhLCV) has been developed.

These advances have led to new insights in the dynamic interactions with the host during acute and persistent EBV infection and can provide a novel platform for EBV vaccine development. Further development and utilization of the rhLCV animal model would be greatly enhanced by expansion of LCV-free breeding colonies as a reliable source of naïve animals for experimental studies. NHP animal models for EBV infection provide unique opportunities for understanding the biology of EBV infection in humans and translating that knowledge into effective vaccines against EBV-induced diseases.

 

I thought this article was interesting because it talks about a colony of rhesus monkeys that don't have the rhesus monkey equivalent of human EBV. So, then scientists can infect monkeys and study what happens.

Potentially then, a study could be done to see if there are post-EBV post vital fatigue syndrome symptoms. If there are, then it becomes easier to try to work out what is going on in a monkey model. If there aren't, then the closeness of the rhesus monkey EBV equivalent to human EBV (and the monkey to humans) could help to narrow down what specific genes might be making a difference.

There was also talk about the development of an EBV vaccine. Wikipedia suggests that a vaccine to EBV may not be far away. That also creates opportunities for studies, including whether there is change in the incidence of ME/CFS in students who are vaccinated against EBV.