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Article: Viral survivor: new studies suggest how Epstein-Barr virus infects and persists.
- Article from:
- Science News
- Article date:
- August 3, 2002
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2002 Science Service, Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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A staple of the Cold War espionage novels that used to populate best-seller lists was the sleeper agent. In a typical scenario, a Russian would sneak into the United States and live discreetly for years. Then, after getting a signal from Moscow to carry out an assassination or another nefarious task, the agent would emerge as a ruthless killer, and the good guys would try to stop him. Think of Epstein-Barr virus as a microscopic sleeper agent.
Usually picked up in early childhood, it infects almost all adults. However, most don't know they have it. Among the few who know are teenagers and others who come down with the usually mild condition known as ...