Epstein-Barr (EB) virus

Epstein-Barr (EB) virus, herpes virus that causes several diseases in humans. The virus, identified in 1964 by British scientists Michael A. Epstein and Υ. Μ. Barr, is associated with infectious mononucleosis (common in the United States), Burkitt's lymphoma (a skin cancer in Africa), and a nasopharyngeal (nose-throat) cancer (in China). The EB virus, which can remain dormant in the body for long periods, infects certain white blood cells and reproduces in mucous membranes.