Epstein-Barr virus

~noun

Entry: a herpesvirus that is the causative agent of infectious mononucleosis. It is also associated with various types of human cancers.

Origin: Named after Sir M. A. Epstein (b. 1921), and Yvonne M. Barr (b. 1932), British pathologists who discovered the virus.

Milton-Kindersley Advanced Dictionary