title: Epstein-Barr Virus Strain Variation.
abstract: What is wild-type Epstein-Barr virus and are there genetic differences in EBV strains that contribute to some of the EBV-associated diseases? Recent progress in DNA sequencing has resulted in many new Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) genome sequences becoming available. EBV isolates worldwide can be grouped into type 1 and type 2, a classification based on the EBNA2 gene sequence. Type 1 transforms human B cells into lymphoblastoid cell lines much more efficiently than type 2 EBV and molecular mechanisms that may account for this difference in cell transformation are now becoming understood. Study of geographic variation of EBV strains independent of the type 1/type 2 classification and systematic investigation of the relationship between viral strains, infection and disease are now becoming possible. So we should consider more directly whether viral sequence variation might play a role in the incidence of some EBV-associated diseases.
authors.affiliation: Section of Virology, Department of Medicine, Imperial College, St Mary's Campus, Norfolk Place, London, W2 1PG, UK. p.farrell@imperial.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Paul J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Farrell
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D020031:Epstein-Barr Virus Infections / Q000821:virology*; D014644:Genetic Variation; D016679:Genome, Viral; D004854:Herpesvirus 4, Human / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D014764:Viral Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D014764:Viral Proteins
keywords: DNA sequence; Epstein–barr virus; Genome; Strain; Variation