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Analysis of epstein‐barr virus infection in nasopharyngeal biopsies from a group at high risk of nasopharyngeal carcinoma
Author(s) -
Sam C. K.,
Brooks L. A.,
Niedobitek G.,
Young L. S.,
Rickinson A. B.,
Prasad U.
Publication year - 1993
Publication title -
international journal of cancer
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.475
H-Index - 234
eISSN - 1097-0215
pISSN - 0020-7136
DOI - 10.1002/ijc.2910530616
Subject(s) - nasopharyngeal carcinoma , lytic cycle , epstein–barr virus , biology , virus , pathology , epstein–barr virus infection , gammaherpesvirinae , herpesviridae , biopsy , malignancy , virology , viral disease , medicine , genetics , radiation therapy
Although Epstein‐Barr virus (EBV) is consistently associated with the epithelial malignancy nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC), it is not clear to what extent the normal virus carrier state involves infection of nasopharyngeal epithelium. We attempted to examine this question by screening 26 nasopharyngeal punch biopsies from EBV‐carrying Chinese Malaysians who had presented with clinical symptoms possibly indicative of NPC, but in whom histological analysis of an adjacent biopsy had revealed no evidence of tumour. Assays included (i) in situ hybridization with 35 S‐labelled riboprobes specific for EBERs (rather than with BamHI W DNA probes which can give false‐positive results); (ii) cDNA amplification across defined splice junctions of the EBNAI and BamHI A transcripts expressed in latently‐infected NPC cells and of the BHRFI lytic‐cycle transcript; and (iii) immunostaining for the immediate early lytic‐cycle protein BZLFI. Of the 26 biopsies examined, all 23 showing normal nasopharyngeal histology were consistently negative for both latent and lytic‐cycle markers. The other 3 cases were all positive for EBNAI and BamHI A transcripts; these RNAs were almost certainly of tumour rather than normal‐cell origin since these particular biopsies were the only ones to reveal localized foci of EBER‐positive NPC cells; such biopsies were again negative for lytic‐cycle markers. We provisionally conclude that EBV infection of the normal nasopharynx is not a regular feature of the virus carrier state and that screening nasopharyngeal biopsies for viral RNA markers of the latent cycle could be useful in NPC diagnosis.