Korean J Otorhinolaryngol-Head Neck Surg.  2023 Apr;66(4):256-262. 10.3342/kjorl-hns.2022.00983.

A Case of Chronic Active Epstein-Barr Virus Infection of External Auditory Canal Mimicking Cellulitis or Malignancy

• Lee JH
• Kim M
• Kwon DH
• Kong TH

• KMID: 2541600
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.3342/kjorl-hns.2022.00983

Abstract

Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is an extremely prevalent virus which infects over 90% of the global population at some point in their lifetime. Chronic active EBV infection (CAEBV) is a disease with a high mortality rate with life-threatening complications. Although the main symptom of CAEBV is inflammation, most patients present with fever, hepatic dysfunction with or without hepatomegaly, splenomegaly, lymphadenopathy, thrombocytopenia, anemia, hypersensitivity to mosquito bites, rash, oral ulcers, hemophagocytic syndrome, coronary artery aneurysms, and interstitial pneumonia. Although some cases of CAEBV with other organ symptoms have been reported, CAEBV of external auditory canal and parotid gland is extremely rare. We report a case of CAEBV infection mimicking cellulitis or malignancy diagnosed after a number of biopsies in a patient who presented with a mass accompanied by inflammation in the external auditory canal.

Keyword

Cellulitis; Epstein-Barr virus; External auditory canal