Detection of Epstein-Barr Virus in Periodontitis: A Review of Methodological Approaches

• Published in: Microorganisms (Basel) Vol. 9; no. 1; p. 72
• Main Authors: Tonoyan, Lilit, Chevalier, Marlène, Vincent-Bugnas, Séverine, Marsault, Robert, Doglio, Alain
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 29.12.2020; MDPI
• Subjects: Bacteria; Bacterial infections; Biopsy; Cancer; Deoxyribonucleic acid; detection methods; Diabetes; Disease control; DNA; DNA polymerase; EBER-ISH; Economic impact; Epstein-Barr virus; Etiology; Gene expression; Global health; Gum disease; Health risks; Human populations; immunohistochemistry; Impact analysis; Infections; Inflammatory diseases; Laboratories; Lymphoma; MicroRNAs; New technology; Oral hygiene; Pathogens; PCR-based methods; Periodontitis; Proteins; Public health; Review; Rheumatoid arthritis; Risk analysis; Risk factors; Serology; Systemic diseases; Teeth; Viruses; detection methods; immunophenotyping; periodontitis; EBER-ISH; immunohistochemistry; PCR-based methods; Epstein–Barr virus
• ISSN: 2076-2607; 2076-2607
• DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms9010072

Periodontitis, an inflammatory condition that affects the structures surrounding the tooth eventually leading to tooth loss, is one of the two biggest threats to oral health. Beyond oral health, it is associated with systemic diseases and even with cancer risk. Obviously, periodontitis represents a major global health problem with significant social and economic impact. Recently, a new paradigm was proposed in the etiopathogenesis of periodontitis involving a herpesviral-bacterial combination to promote long-term chronic inflammatory disease. Periodontitis as a risk factor for other systemic diseases can also be better explained based on viral-bacterial etiology. Significant efforts have brought numerous advances in revealing the links between periodontitis and Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), a gamma herpesvirus ubiquitous in the adult human population. The strong evidence from these studies may contribute to the advancement of periodontitis research and the ultimate control of the disease. Advancing the periodontitis research will require implementing suitable methods to establish EBV involvement in periodontitis. This review evaluates and summarizes the existing methods that allow the detection and diagnosis of EBV in periodontitis (also applicable in a more general way to other EBV-related diseases), and discusses the feasibility of the application of innovative emerging technologies.