Epstein–Barr Virus Infection Disguised as Acute Leukemia: A Case Report
Rini Rose Benny
Department of Pharmacy Practice, St. Joseph's College of Pharmacy, Cherthala, Kerala, India.
Aiswarya Wilson
Department of Pharmacy Practice, St. Joseph's College of Pharmacy, Cherthala, Kerala, India.
Siby Joseph *
Department of Pharmacy Practice, St. Joseph's College of Pharmacy, Cherthala, Kerala, India.
John Alexander
Department of General Medicine, Lakeshore Hospital and Research Centre, Cochin, Kerala, India.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
Epstein Barr virus (EBV), the most prevalent viruses known to infect humans belongs to the herpes family. The genome of the EBV is the first to be fully sequenced. Infectious mononucleosis is a condition that commonly occurs in adulthood presenting with symptoms such as fever, sore throat and generalized lymphadenopathy. Here we present a case in which an infection was disguised as leukemia due to similar presentation of the disease thus, emphasizing the need for proper history to be taken in all patients. It is very essential to get the complete history of the patients to all possible exposures of infection and to include EBV-associated syndromes in differential diagnosis. A Thorough evaluation must be conducted to avoid mistakenly diagnosing the patient with lympho proliferative neoplasms.
Keywords: Epstein Barr virus (EBV), infectious mononucleosis, leucocytosis, leukemia