Figure 1.

Regulation of the EBV load by IL-10. After transmission, EBV infects naïve B cells, which are then reprogrammed and replenish the pool of latently EBV-infected memory B cells. Occasionally, EBV reactivates and lytically infected plasma cells produce new virus particles, which infect new naïve B cells completing the viral life cycle. After reinfection, epithelial cells of the oropharynx shed viral particles into the saliva, which passes EBV on to new individuals. Importantly, the coordinated action of EBV-induced cIL-10 and ebvIL-10 regulates the individual set point of the EBV load not only by reprogramming EBV-infected naïve B cells but also by regulating the activity of antiviral T cells that eliminate newly infected B cells.