Epstein-Barr virus

[ ep-stahyn bahr vahy-ruhs ]

noun

1. a type of herpesvirus that causes infectious mononucleosis. : EBV

Epstein-Barr virus

/ ˈɛpstaɪn ˈbɑː /

noun

1. a virus belonging to the herpes family that causes infectious mononucleosis; it is also implicated in the development of Burkitt's lymphoma and Hodgkin's disease EBV

Epstein-Barr virus

/ ĕp′stīn-bär′ /

1. A virus of the family Herpesviridae and the genus Lymphocryptovirus that causes infectious mononucleosis and is associated with several types of human cancers. It is named after two of its discoverers, British pathologist Michael Anthony Epstein (born 1921) and British virologist Yvonne M. Barr (born 1932).

Word History and Origins

Origin of Epstein-Barr virus¹

Named after British pathologist Sir Michael Anthony Epstein (1921–2024) and Irish virologist Yvonne Margaret Barr (1932–2016), who co-discovered the virus in 1964

Word History and Origins

Origin of Epstein-Barr virus¹

C20: named after Sir M. A. Epstein (born 1921), and Yvonne M. Barr (born 1932), British pathologists who discovered the virus