[Detection of Epstein-Barr virus-1,2 in malignant head and neck tumors by newly developed polymerase chain reaction method].

The polymerase chain reaction method (PCR) was employed for the analysis of EBV genotypes in nasopharyngeal carcinoma, malignant lymphoma of head and neck origin and infectious mononucleosis. In nasopharyngeal carcinoma, type 1 EBV was detected in 12 cases and type 2 in one. Type 1 EBV was also detected in 3 out of 8 malignant lymphoma and 2 infectious mononucleosis. These results indicate that type 1 EBV is strongly predominant in nasopharyngeal carcinoma and predominant in malignant lymphoma and infectious mononucleosis. Our results may reflect the general prevalence of these two types of EBV in Japan, as we previously reported.