The Role of the Human Virome in Hematologic Malignancies

Abstract

The focus of this Chapter will be on the viruses that can persistently infect humans becoming permanent members of the human virome. These viruses include Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), Kaposi’s sarcoma herpes virus (KSHV), hepatitis C virus (HCV) and human T-cell leukemia virus (HTLV)-1. EBV, KSHV and HTLV-1 establish latent infections in lymphocytes that cannot be eradicated while HCV leads to chronic infection that can be ultimately cured with anti-viral drugs. The hematologic malignancies associated with these viral infections include B, T and natural killer (NK) cell lymphomas and adult-T cell leukemia. A challenge in understanding the etiology of the viral-associated hematologic malignancies is the relative ubiquity of the viruses within the human population in contrast to the rarity of the associated malignancies. Nonetheless, it is clear that these members of our human virome contribute to a substantial burden of hematologic malignancy.