EBV ORAL SHEDDING, VIREMIA AND ORAL HAIRY LEUKOPLAKIA IN HIV-POSITIVE INDIVIDUALS.

To evaluate the viral load of the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) in the blood and saliva of patients positive for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and its relationship with oral hairy leukoplakia (OHL). A cross-sectional observational study including 94 individuals with HIV undergoing clinical examination and collection of blood samples (for analysis of HIV and EBV viremia and CD4+ T lymphocyte count) and saliva (for analysis of EBV salivary elimination). Histopathologic examination and in situ hybridization were used in the 20 confirmed cases of OHL. The majority of the sample was male (72.3%), with a mean age of 45.2 years. The average CD4+ T lymphocyte count was 535.9 cells/mm³, the majority with an undetectable HIV viral load (79.7%). The average log10 of the EBV viral load in the blood was 1.6 and in saliva it was 2.4, with a positive correlation (P =.001). Individuals with OHL had a higher viral load of EBV in their saliva (P =.045). The increase in the EBV viral load in the saliva of individuals with HIV with OHL is justified by the tropism of this virus by the epithelial cells and by the local immunological microenvironment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]