Epstein-Barr virus activation in Raji cells with ether extracts of soil from different areas in China

Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) inducers were found in soil samples collected from the ground under tung oil trees and other plant species of Euphorbiaceae family growing in southern provinces of China where incidence of an EBV-associated malignancy, nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is prevalent. In such NPC high risk areas, the positive rate of EBV inducers in soil samples was up to 59.5%. Since many tung oil trees are planted along the roads and rivers of the high risk area, the possible significance of EBV inducers in soil under the trees in the development of malignancy among inhabitants of the area is discussed.