Molecular epidemiology of a parainfluenza type 3 virus outbreak on a pediatric ward.
Parainfluenza type 3 virus (PIV-3), an important cause of acute lower respiratory illness in children, can be transmitted nosocomially. To differentiate between nosocomial transmission and community-acquired infection, a polymerase chain reaction-based sequencing assay was developed for the 5' noncoding region of the PIV-3 fusion protein gene and was applied to virus specimens from 10 children infected with PIV-3 during a hospital outbreak. Four strains of PIV-3 were identified among the 10 virus isolates. Six isolates, which appeared to belong to 1 strain, were obtained from a cluster of nosocomial cases in a pediatric intermediate care unit. In contrast, the remaining 4 isolates, which appeared to belong to 3 different strains, were obtained from children infected in the community or elsewhere in the hospital. These data indicate that multiple strains of PIV-3 can be found during a single epidemic and provide evidence that infections within the intermediate care unit were probably caused by transmission of 1 strain of virus within the unit rather than reintroduction of virus by new patients or staff.
Department of International Health, School of Hygiene and Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21205.
R A
RA
Karron
K L
KL
O'Brien
J L
JL
Froehlich
V A
VA
Brown
D001483:Base Sequence; D003428:Cross Infection / Q000382:microbiology*; D004279:DNA, Viral; D004196:Disease Outbreaks; D014644:Genetic Variation; D006757:Hospital Units; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010224:Parainfluenza Virus 3, Human / Q000235:genetics*; D018184:Paramyxoviridae Infections / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology*; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D014760:Viral Fusion Proteins / Q000235:genetics
D004279:DNA, Viral; D014760:Viral Fusion Proteins