Date of Submission
12-15-2022
Document Type
Thesis
Department
Biology and Environmental Sciences
Advisor
Anna Kloc, Ph.D.
Keywords
Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV), Inflammation of the Heart Muscle, Heart Disease, Viral Infection
MeSH
Herpesvirus 4, Human, Myocarditis, Heart Diseases, Virus Diseases
LCSH
Epstein-Barr virus diseases, Myocarditis, Heart--Diseases, Virus diseases
Abstract
Viral myocarditis is an inflammatory state of the heart muscle that is often a result of a viral infection. As of now, current research has linked Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), COVID-19, influenza, coxsackievirus B3 and rhinovirus to causing viral myocarditis. This proposed work examines EBV and its linkage to viral myocarditis. Due to its lytic and latent activation periods, EBV has the potential to infect cardiomyocytes and persist within different regions of the heart wall. In this experiment, the presence of EBV was tested in 72 total heart tissue samples, 36 from non-cardiomyopathy deaths and the other 36 from cardiomyopathy-related deaths. Results showed presence of EBV in both the control and the experimental samples. However, a comparative analysis revealed a greater presence of EBV in cardiomyopathy-related samples as compared to non-cardiomyopathy samples. Further analysis on a larger scale can draw conclusive results as to the connection between EBV persistence and heart disease.
Recommended Citation
Jones, Ashley, "The Effect of Epstein Barr Virus on Myocarditis" (2022). Honors Theses. 54.
https://digitalcommons.newhaven.edu/honorstheses/54