Epstein-Barr Virus in Oropharyngeal and Nasopharyngeal Secretions of Patients with Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma and Control Subjects

Abstract

The frequency of oropharyngeal excreters of the Epstein-Barr virus among patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma in Hong Kong was compared with those of healthy adults in Hong Kong and California. 6 (3%) of 177 patients, 11 (12%) of 92 Hong Kong residents, and 20 (15%) of 132 Californians were excreters. The virus was detected in the nasopharyngeal secretion of only 1 of 67 patients and in 2 of 73 healthy adults. No convincing evidence for neutralizing antibody in the throat wash and nasopharyngeal secretions of the patients could be obtained. Epstein-Barr viral gene sequencing could not be detected in the throat washes from 27 patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma, 8 patients with infectious mononucleosis, and 15 healthy adults and in the nasopharyngeal secretions of 35 patients and 17 controls. We conclude that patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma are no more likely to be oropharyngeal or nasopharyngeal excreters of the Epstein-Barr virus than healthy adults. One possible explanation for this unexpected finding is that the virus infections in nasopharyngeal carcinoma cells are predominantly nonproductive.

The Physiologic Reservoir of Epstein‐Barr Virus Does Not Map to Upper Aerodigestive Tissues

“…Other studies, however, suggest that mucosal epithelium in oropharyngeal or other sites 22‐24 may be the target of primary EBV infection and the site of EBV persistence. This view is supported by the demonstration of infectious EBV in oropharyngeal and nasopharyngeal secretions and throat washes, 25 saliva, 26 and salivary gland tissue from nondiseased, seropositive individuals 27 …”

Epstein‐Barr virus in exfoliated cells from the postnasal space

“…Attempts to detect EBV serum antibodies and EBV DNA in throat washes and nasopharynge-a1 secretions have failed to show any difference in the samples obtained from NPC patients and those from healthy controls; in fact, only 3% of NPC patients vs 12-15% of healthy controls excreted EBV (20). The leukocyte-transforming assay appears to be more sensitive (7), but the method is cumbersome and not suited for screening procedures.…”

“…The leukocyte-transforming assay appears to be more sensitive (7), but the method is cumbersome and not suited for screening procedures. Hybridization with cloned EBV-specific DNA probes appears to be too insensitive to be of practical value when the method is applied to nasopharyngeal or throat washes (5,20).…”