title: Absence of the Epstein-Barr virus genome in the normal thymus, thymic epithelial tumors, thymic lymphoid hyperplasia in a European population.
abstract: It has previously been shown that the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) genome may be detected in some thymic tumors. We have investigated specimens of normal thymus, thymitis with lymphoid hyperplasia and a large spectrum of thymic epithelial tumors obtained from european patients for the presence of EBV genome by in situ hybridization and DNA-blotting methods. Cell lines established from seven of the thymic tumors were also tested for EBV. No EBV genome was demonstrated in any of the tumors examined, which included various types of thymoma and thymic carcinomas, nor in the non-neoplastic thymic specimens. However, unlike previous reports, no examples of lymphoepithelial-like thymic carcinoma, nor specimen from Asian patients were included in this study. We suggest that EBV is linked to a specific epithelial tumor type, namely the lymphoepithelial-like carcinoma, regardless of its site, and not to thymic tumors in general.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Pathology, University of Würzburg, Federal Republic of Germany.
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Borisch
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kirchner
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Marx
authors.forename: H K
authors.initials: HK
authors.lastname: Müller-Hermelink
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000032:analysis*; D005060:Europe; D005260:Female; D005814:Genes, Viral; D004854:Herpesvirus 4, Human / Q000235:genetics*; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009693:Nucleic Acid Hybridization; D013950:Thymus Gland / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000473:pathology; D013952:Thymus Hyperplasia / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000473:pathology; D013953:Thymus Neoplasms / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000473:pathology
chemical_list: D004279:DNA, Viral