The growing interests in Epstein–Barr virus: A bibliometric analysis of research trends, collaborations, and emerging hotspots

TL;DR

This study uses bibliometric analysis to show growing global interest in Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) research, highlighting key areas like immune evasion and emerging treatments.

Contribution

The study provides a comprehensive bibliometric analysis of EBV research trends, identifying emerging hotspots such as immunotherapy and vaccine development.

Findings

EBV research has seen a consistent rise in publications, indicating increased global scholarly engagement.

Collaborative networks show strong international partnerships, especially between the United States and China.

Emerging research hotspots include immunotherapy, biomarkers, and vaccine development targeting EBV-associated diseases.

Abstract

•This bibliometric analysis reveals a notable rise in global attention toward EBV research, showcasing expanding scholarly engagement worldwide.•The study outcomes systematically chart the intellectual terrain of EBV research, mapping key areas of knowledge and academic focus.•This work delivers novel perspectives that can inform and inspire future investigations within the field of EBV, fostering innovative research directions.

This bibliometric analysis reveals a notable rise in global attention toward EBV research, showcasing expanding scholarly engagement worldwide.

The study outcomes systematically chart the intellectual terrain of EBV research, mapping key areas of knowledge and academic focus.

This work delivers novel perspectives that can inform and inspire future investigations within the field of EBV, fostering innovative research directions.

Epstein–Barr Virus (EBV) is a widespread human γ-herpesvirus linked to cancers and autoimmune diseases, but limited comprehensive bibliometric analysis appear to have been conducted in this field.

Using Web of Science data, 16,318 EBV-related documents (2014–2023) were analyzed via VOSviewer, Bibliometrix, and Citespace following the Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology reporting guideline.

This cross-sectional bibliometric analysis of 16,318 EBV-related documents (2014–2023) revealed a consistent upward trend in annual publications, reflecting growing global interest in EBV research. Collaborative networks demonstrated strong international partnerships, particularly between the United States and China. Keywords co-occurrence and burst analysis highlighted enduring focus on EBV pathogenesis, immune evasion mechanisms, and EBV-associated diseases like nasopharyngeal carcinoma, Hodgkin lymphoma, and multiple sclerosis. On the basis of this comprehensive bibliometric analysis, it showed that the emerging hotspots included immunotherapy, biomarkers, viral reactivation, and vaccine development, with clinical trials evaluating immune-checkpoint inhibitors of toripalimab, mRNA-based therapeutic vaccines targeting LMP2 and EBNA1, and prophylactic strategies such as glycoproteins-based ferritin nanoparticles or mRNA vaccines, indicating a shift toward precision interventions.

EBV research has grown exponentially, driven by insights into structural-function relationships and immune evasion. Advances enable targeted prophylactic/therapeutic strategies. The analysis highlights needs to decode virus-host interactions, optimize vaccines, and translate findings clinically, aiming to raise disease awareness, guide immunotherapies, and reduce global health burdens.

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