title: Genomic variation among herpes simplex virus type 1 strains: virus DNA analysis of isolates from Saudi patients.
abstract: Fifty-two clinical isolates of herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) from Saudi Arabian patients were analysed by restriction endonuclease digestion of the virus DNA using the enzymes HindIII and BamHI, followed by hybridization with 32P labelled DNA of laboratory strain F. Of the isolates, 17 were resolved into four distinct cleavage patterns with HindIII restriction enzyme. The remaining 35 strains had the same cleavage pattern as the standard HSV-1-F. Further investigation of the 52 isolates with BamHI, which is a multicut enzyme and therefore capable of higher resolution, differentiated 47 of the 52 isolates and were assigned into nine cleavage groups. Comparing our findings with similar studies reported elsewhere suggest geographic clustering of HSV-1 strains. Fragments giving rise to the observed DNA polymorphism were mapped to the unique region of the long and short segments of the genome.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological and Medical Research, King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Centre, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: M N
authors.initials: MN
authors.lastname: al-Ahdal
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Kessie
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Taha
authors.forename: F J
authors.initials: FJ
authors.lastname: al-Shammary
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ettayebi
mesh_terms: D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000235:genetics*; D015245:Deoxyribonuclease BamHI; D015247:Deoxyribonuclease HindIII; D014644:Genetic Variation / Q000235:genetics*; D006561:Herpes Simplex / Q000382:microbiology; D006801:Humans; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic / Q000235:genetics; D012529:Saudi Arabia; D018139:Simplexvirus / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification
chemical_list: D004279:DNA, Viral; D015245:Deoxyribonuclease BamHI; D015247:Deoxyribonuclease HindIII