Epstein-Barr Virus: From the Detection of Sequence Polymorphisms to the Recognition of Viral Strains

The Epstein-Barr virus is etiologically linked with the development of benign and malignant diseases, characterized by their diversity and a heterogeneous geographic distribution across the world. The virus possesses a large genome that encodes multiple proteins and noncoding RNAs and carries multiple genetic polymorphisms. Early on, there were numerous attempts to link particular diseases with particular EBV strains, or at least with viral variants. This has delivered a wealth of information whose value has been difficult to evaluate. However, the recent availability of more than 2100 complete or nearly complete genomes has substantially increased the power of genetic studies, and genetic markers of specific strains are slowly emerging. While some of the identified polymorphisms have biological consequences, others generate biomarkers that are tightly associated with some EBV-associated cancers. Future work will be needed to determine whether these polymorphisms have pathogenic consequences in humans.