Fatal infectious mononucleosis in a leukemic child in remission

: The authors report the case of a 5 year-old girl who died from primary Epstein-Barr virus infection while in remission from acute lymphoblastic leukemia. There was a diffuse, polymorphic and polyclonal proliferation of B lymphocytes, associated with a strong histiocytic reaction with hemophagocytosis. The role of Epstein-Barr virus was ascertained by the appearance of specific antibodies and the finding of EBNA antigen on liver smear.