Tonsils diseases, past, present and future and the impact in clinical practice in Brazil.

A simplified review of the research carried out in Brazil on tonsils is presented: histopathological findings in children's tonsils with allergy, the detection of Epstein-Barr virus, herpes virus (SV1 e SV2, HHV8) and the correlation between tonsil hypertrophy and recurrence of infection is discussed. The role of allergy in children with tonsillitis and/or tonsil and adenoid hypertrophy are analyzed. After participating in the Tonsils Symposium in 1991, the knowledge of tonsils morphology, immunology and histopathology increased, triggering a change in clinical practice in Brazil.

Is there a relationship between the detection of human herpesvirus 8 and Epstein-Barr virus in Waldeyer's ring tissues?

Objective: Human herpesvirus 8 (HHV-8) and Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) are human pathogens associated to a number of neoplasms, including tumors of the Waldeyer's ring. Both viruses have been previously detected by in situ methods in tonsils and adenoids from children. HHV-8 was found in 6.

Detection of herpesvirus type 8 (HHV8) in children's tonsils and adenoids by immunohistochemistry and in situ hybridization.

Objective: Human herpesvirus 8 (HHV8) has been associated with multicentric Castleman's disease, Kaposi's sarcoma and effusion non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. Epidemiological studies have shown seropositivity in variable proportions of populations. It seems to be sexually transmitted among adults and through oral contact among children.

Search for Herpesvirus 1 and 2 by in situ hybridization in tonsils and adenoids.

Objective: Herpes simplex virus (HSV) has been described as cause of acute tonsillitis. It has also been found in nasopharyngeal florid lymphoid infiltrate, mostly composed of CD4+, CD56+ T-cells, simulating lymphoma. In spite of its widespread prevalence in latent form, to the best of our knowledge no study is available on in situ detection of HSV in chronically hyperplastic nasopharyngeal lymphoid tissue.