Characterization of variants in the promoter of BZLF1 gene of EBV in nonmalignant EBV-associated diseases in Chinese children | Jin et al. Virology Journal 2010 7 92 http content 7 1 92 VIROLOGY JOURNAL RESEARCH Open Access Characterization of variants in the promoter of BZLF1 gene of EBV in nonmalignant EBV-associated diseases in Chinese children Yingkang Jin1 Zhengde Xie 2 Gen Lu2 Shuang Yang3 and Kunling Shen 1 Abstract Background Diseases associated with Epstein-Barr virus EBV infections such as infectious mononucleosis IM EBV-associated hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis EBV-HLH and chronic active EBV infection CAEBV are not rare in Chinese children. The association of type 1 or type 2 EBV and variants of the EBV BZLF1 promoter zone Zp with these diseases is unclear. Results The objective of this study was to investigate the relationship between EBV genotypes Zp variants and EBV type 1 and 2 and the clinical phenotypes of EBV-associated diseases in Chinese children. The Zp region was directly sequenced in 206 EBV-positive DNA samples from the blood of patients with IM EBV-HLH CAEBV and healthy controls. Type 1 or type 2 EBV was examined by PCR for EBNA2 and EBNA3C subtypes. Four polymorphic Zp variants were identified Zp-P Zp-V3 Zp-P4 and Zp-V1 a new variant. The Zp-V3 variant was significantly associated with CAEBV P . The frequency of co-infection with Zp variants was higher in patients with CAEBV and EBV-HLH compared with IM and healthy controls mostly as Zp-P V3 co-infection. Type 1 EBV was predominant in all categories and there was no significant difference in the frequency of the EBV types 1 and 2 in different categories P . Conclusions Type 1 EBV and BZLF1 Zp-P of EBV were the predominant genotypes in nonmalignant EBV associated diseases in Chinese children and Zp-V3 variant may correlates with the developing of severe EBV infection diseases such as CAEBV and EBV-HLH. Background Epstein-Barr virus EBV is a member of the Lym-phocryptovirus genus Gammaherpesvirinae subfamily of the Herpesviridae family of viruses. This virus is associated with
