Genotypic analysis of epstein‐barr virus isolates associated with nasopharyngeal carcinoma in chinese immigrants to the united states

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Abstract
EBV genotypes of first‐ and second‐generation Chinese diagnosed with nasopharyngeal carcinoma in the United States were analyzed by PCR techniques. Previous studies showed a geographical distribution of genotypically distinct sub‐types of EBV. Viruses detected at a higher frequency among Chinese NPC patients (Cf) were distinguished from those found in the majority of Caucasian NPC patients (DF) in the United States by polymorphisms in the BamHI F and I regions. Exploiting this distinction, we analyzed the biopsies of Chinese immigrants in the United States for their C/D and F/f genotypes to evaluate the importance of retention of the Cf virus among Chinese NPC patients in a geographical area where the DF virus prevails. This study shows that approximately 45.5 to 50% of first‐ and second‐generation Chinese NPC patients in California harbor the Cf virus, which is present in only 8% of Caucasian NPC patients in California. It is interesting that, while only 48% of the viral isolates from immigrant Chinese to California harbor the “f” variant, 96% harbor the type‐C viruses.