Study of Epstein-Barr virus expression in Burkitt’s lymphoma by polymerase chain reaction and in situ hybridization: A study in Iran

Abstract

Background: The association of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) with Burkitt’s lymphoma (BL) is variable
in different geographic regions. In developing countries, the association of EBV with BL is regarded
to be of an endemic-type in equatorial Africa ( > 95%) and sporadic-type in the developed countries
(15-30%). The purpose of this study is to assess the frequency of EBV infection in BL, in Iran. The
study also aims to compare Ribonucleic acid (RNA) in situ hybridization (RISH), the standard
diagnostic method, with the polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based method for diagnosing BL.
Materials and Methods: In this epidemiological study, the paraffi nized specimens of 18 cases
of BL were selected. Next, the ISH of EBV-encoded RNA (EBER-RISH) and PCR assays that were
based on Epstein Barr Nuclear Antigen 2 ( EBNA2) amplifi cation were used. The EBV strain was
determined by PCR. The data were analyzed using the SPSS10 software and by performing Pearson
correlation coeffi cient formula at a signifi cant level of 0.05.
Results: EBV RNA was detected in 50% of the BL specimens. Type 1 and 2 accounted for 70 and
30% of the cases, respectively. Regarding RISH as the standard method for EBV diagnosis, the PCR
assays showed a sensitivity and specifi city of 100 and 88.9%, respectively.
Conclusion: According to the obtained fi ndings, the frequency of EBV in BL was 50% and PCR
and RISH showed high concordance and sensitivity in EBV detection. Therefore, PCR can be used
as a faster method for EBV detection in high-risk geographical regions.
Key Words: Burkitt’s lymphoma, Epstein-Barr virus, in situ hybridization, polymerse chain reaction