Researchers from Baylor College of Medicine, AstraZeneca, and Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center have identified 22 genes that may increase the risk of developing chronic conditions after infection with Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV). The findings were published in Nature following an analysis of genetic and health data from about 750,000 people in the UK and US.
EBV infects approximately 90% of people worldwide but usually remains inactive. For some individuals, however, the virus can persist at higher levels and contribute to chronic illnesses such as lupus, chronic lung disease, heart disease, and certain cancers later in life. The reasons why only some people experience these effects have remained unclear.
The research team used large-scale genomic and health datasets along with new computational methods to measure EBV levels across hundreds of thousands of individuals. They found that specific genetic differences—many involving immune system genes—may reduce the body’s ability to control EBV. People carrying these variants are more likely to have elevated levels of the virus in their blood, which is associated with a greater risk for chronic diseases.
Dr. Ryan Dhindsa, assistant professor at Baylor College of Medicine and principal investigator at Texas Children’s Hospital’s Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute, said: “This research adds a missing piece to the puzzle of chronic disease. We show that genetic variation influences how well EBV is controlled, and that poorer viral control is associated with several long-term illnesses. These findings suggest that health outcomes reflect a complex interaction between our genes, lifestyle, and viral history. While further work is needed to determine which of these links are causal, the results point to new ways to identify risk and guide future efforts to prevent and treat chronic disease.”
Slavé Petrovski from AstraZeneca commented: “Identifying the roles of these 22 genes that are a significant factor in EBV control offers a profound leap forward. We found that people with higher EBV levels are about 50% more likely to have rheumatoid arthritis and nearly twice as likely to have COPD compared to those with lower levels. Insight into the genetic drivers behind this not only helps us understand who is at greater risk of longer-term disease burden but also informs the next wave of research into therapeutic and potentially early intervention strategies.”
Caleb Lareau from Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center added: “Using innovative computational methods, we took pieces of genome sequence data that are typically discarded in routine human genetic studies and transformed them into valuable new insights at a scale previously unimaginable; turning trash into treasure. Our approach can be extended beyond EBV, enabling the detection and analysis of other viruses hidden within large genome sequence datasets.”
Baylor College of Medicine has been involved in advancing biomedical research since its founding in 1900. After relocating to Houston in 1943, it established itself within the Texas Medical Center where it focuses on education across its schools as well as patient care through partnerships (official website). As an independent health sciences university (official website), Baylor supports integrated health sciences environments (official website) while promoting community service as part of its mission (official website).
The study builds on growing evidence linking EBV infection with various chronic illnesses by identifying gene-virus interactions that could inform early detection or prevention strategies.
For information about collaborators or funding sources related to this study see publication.
