Genotypic analysis of Epstein-Barr virus associated with nasopharyngeal carcinoma of Japanese patients.

Types and certain genetic markers were studied for Epstein-Barr virus present in 10 specimens of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) from Japanese patients. The type 1 virus was predominant in our NPC specimens, as in the general Japanese population, and the type 2 virus was found only in one NPC specimen. The type C variant, which lacks the BamHI site between the BamHI-W1* and -I1* regions, appeared to be common among Japanese strains as in those in Southern China. The type f variant which has an extra BamHI site in the BamHI-F region and has been shown to be strongly associated with NPC in Southern China was found in only one NPC specimen. This virus strain was also the only type 2 virus among our specimens. The present study, therefore, does not show any specific association of the type f variant with NPC in Japan.