title: Evaluation of epstein-barr virus DNA load in gastric mucosa with chronic atrophic gastritis using a real-time quantitative PCR assay.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  It is hypothesized that Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) has already infected the noncarcinomatous gastric mucosa before carcinogenesis of EBV-associated gastric carcinoma. However, the frequency and distribution of EBV infection in the gastric mucosa of chronic atrophic gastritis (CAG) are still unclear. To clarify these points, we evaluated the EBV DNA load in gastric mucosa with CAG.
  
  
  METHODS
  We tested samples from 35 CAG cases. Paired biopsy specimens from five sites of the stomach were obtained according to the Updated Sydney System. One of each pair of specimens was subjected to areal-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (Q-PCR) assay to detect EBV. Q-PCR was performed using the LightCycler System (Roche, Mannheim, Germany). The other was subjected to hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) and Giemsa staining. The histological degree of CAG was graded according to the Updated Sydney System. To evaluate the surface distribution of gastric mucosal atrophic changes of CAG, we modified the endoscopic classification of Kimura and Takemoto.
  
  
  RESULTS
  EBV DNA was detected in 65.7% (23 of 35 cases) of the gastric biopsy specimens of the cases examined. EBV DNA was detected most frequently (92.3%; 12 of 13 cases) in the cases with endoscopically moderate CAG (p < 0.01). There was a significant association between EBV detection and the presence of inflammatory cell infiltration and atrophy in the stomach with endoscopically moderate CAG.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  EBV mainly infects the gastric mucosa of patients with moderate CAG.
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Yamaguchi University School of Medicine, Yamaguchi 755-8505, Japan.
authors.forename: Atsuyoshi
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hirano
authors.forename: Hideo
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yanai
authors.forename: Norio
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Shimizu
authors.forename: Takeshi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Okamoto
authors.forename: Yoshitaka
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Matsubara
authors.forename: Kohtaro
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Yamamoto
authors.forename: Kiwamu
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Okita
mesh_terms: D001706:Biopsy; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000032:analysis*; D005753:Gastric Mucosa / Q000473:pathology / Q000821:virology; D005757:Gastritis, Atrophic / Q000150:complications* / Q000473:pathology / Q000821:virology*; D004854:Herpesvirus 4, Human / Q000235:genetics* / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D006801:Humans; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D013274:Stomach Neoplasms / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000821:virology*
chemical_list: D004279:DNA, Viral