REVIEW article
Front. Immunol.
Sec. Viral Immunology
Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2025.1687214
This article is part of the Research TopicAntiviral Innate Immune Mechanisms in Animal HostsView all 12 articles
Epstein–Barr Virus in Thyroid Disease: An Integrated Immunovirological Perspective
Provisionally accepted
- The Second Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, China
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Epstein–Barr virus (EBV) is a highly prevalent human herpesvirus capable of establishing lifelong latency in the host. It has garnered increasing attention for its potential pathogenic role in thyroid diseases. This review integrates current evidence linking EBV to a spectrum of thyroid diseases, including Graves' disease, Hashimoto's thyroiditis, thyroid cancer, and other rare subtypes. A key contribution of this work is the synthesized framework that connects viral infection, immune dysregulation, and neoplastic transformation. Unlike previous studies focused on isolated conditions, this review highlights the bridging role of EBV between autoimmunity and thyroid tumorigenesis. In addition, potential EBV-targeted therapeutic strategies are discussed, offering new perspectives for early diagnosis, risk stratification, and personalized management. Overall, this review advances the mechanistic understanding of EBV-associated thyroid diseases and provides a theoretical foundation for future research and clinical interventions.
Keywords: Epstein–Barr virus, Thyroid disease, imunology, Dysregulation, Pathogenic Mechanism
Received: 17 Aug 2025; Accepted: 15 Oct 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Wang, Chang and Cheng. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Xianbin Cheng, chengxb19@mails.jlu.edu.cn
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