ABSTRACT
Burkitt lymphoma (BL) is a tumor of B-lymphocytes that, by definition, carries one of three reciprocal chromosomal translocations that juxtapose the coding region of the MYC proto-oncogene located on chromosome 8 to an immunoglobulin (Ig) gene locus from either chromosome 2, 14, or 22 (1). The consequence of these translocations is constitutive transcription of the affectedMYC allele, ultimately resulting in malignant transformation of the B-cell. In addition to the classic endemic, or African, form of BL (eBL) initially described by Dr. Dennis Burkitt in 1958 (2), which is virtually always associated with latent (nonproductive) Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infection, at least two additional forms of BL, sporadic (sBL) and HIV or AIDS associated, are formally recognized by the World Health Organization (1,3). Unlike eBL, nonendemic forms are less frequently associated with EBV. Because the distribution of eBL coincides with the malarial belt of Central Africa, infection with malarial parasites has long been believed to be an important cofactor for the development of EBV-positive BL in this region.
