EB virus in relation to tumours

When Burkitt first described the lymphoma which now bears his name, the most striking aspect of the tumour was the apparent dependence of its distribu-tion on climatic factors. That the incidence of the tumour could be influenced by temperature and rainfall suggested at once that some biological agent was concerned in its causation, and the decision to seek possible aetiological viruses in Burkitt tumour material led directly to the discovery of the EB virus in 1964 (Epstein, Achong, and Barr, 1964). The EB virus was immediately recognized as belonging morphologically to the herpes group (Figs. 1-3), and subsequent serological, immunological, and biological tests have amply confirmed that this virus is indeed a new and distinct member of the