Host control of persistent Epstein–Barr virus infection

Abstract Epstein–Barr virus (EBV) infects approximately 90–95% of the global population 1,2 and persists in B cells as a lifelong infection 3 . Previous EBV infection is associated with autoimmune and neoplastic disease 4 . Still, the biological basis of host control during EBV persistence remains unclear. Here we report the identification of non-genetic and genetic factors that are associated with EBV control during persistent infection. Using blood-based genome sequence data from 486,315 UK Biobank and 336,123 All of Us participants, we identified short-read pairs mapping to the EBV genome in 16.2% and 21.8% of individuals, respectively. EBV read detection (EBVread + ) reflects increased viral load in blood…