Advance on subtypes/variant of Epstein-Barr virus and relationship between subtypes/variants andEpstein-Barr virus related diseases

Epstein-Barr virus( EBV )is a ubiquitous human gamma-1 herpesvirus,which is associated with human malignancies,such as nasopharyngeal carcinoma,Burkitt's lymphoma and Hodgkin lymphoma.Based on the polymorphism of amino acids in the polymorphic region of EBV genome,it can be classified into different subtypes/variants.By now,whether the subtypes/variants of EBV preferentially is associated with particular malignancies or represent geographical polymorphism remains controversial.This review summarized the literature on sequence variation in EBV genes,focusing on LMP-1,EBNA-1,and BZLF-1 and their distribution by geography and disease. Key words: Epstein-Barr virus;  LMP1 ;  EBNA1 ;  BZLF1