Molecular epidemiology of varicella-zoster virus in East London, England, between 1971 and 1995.
The molecular epidemiology of varicella-zoster virus in London, England, between 1971 and 1995 was examined by using two informative polymorphic markers, variable repeat region R5 and a BglI restriction site in gene 54. Viruses from 105 cases of chickenpox and 144 of zoster were typed. Two alleles of R5, A and B, were found at prevalences of 89 and 6%, respectively. No difference in allele frequency between the zoster and chickenpox cases was found, and no change in the frequencies of these alleles was observed to occur over time. By contrast, a BglI restriction site (BglI+) was found with increasing frequency over time among cases of varicella (P < 0.005) and, to a lesser extent, cases of zoster. The BglI+ polymorphism was strongly associated (P < 0.0005) with zoster in subjects who had immigrated to the United Kingdom from countries with low adult immunity to varicella (LAIV). Sixty-three percent of the subjects with zoster who had emigrated from countries with LAIV carried the BglI+ virus, in contrast to 10% of adults who had grown up in countries with high adult immunity to varicella. The significance of these data, in view of the changing epidemiology of chickenpox, is discussed.
Hawrami
K
K
Department of Medical Microbiology and Virology, St. Bartholomew's and Royal Hospital School of Medicine and Dentistry, Queen Mary Westfield College, London, United Kingdom.
Hart
I J
IJ
Pereira
F
F
Argent
S
S
Bannister
B
B
Bovill
B
B
Carrington
D
D
Ogilvie
M
M
Rawstorne
S
S
Tryhorn
Y
Y
Breuer
J
J
D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D002644:Chickenpox / Q000453:epidemiology*; D015252:Deoxyribonucleases, Type II Site-Specific; D004641:Emigration and Immigration; D005260:Female; D014644:Genetic Variation; D006562:Herpes Zoster / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000276:immunology; D014645:Herpesvirus 3, Human / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D006801:Humans; D008131:London / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D017720:Molecular Epidemiology; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic; D015995:Prevalence; D012091:Repetitive Sequences, Nucleic Acid; D015183:Restriction Mapping; D012703:Serotyping; D013997:Time Factors; D006113:United Kingdom
D015252:Deoxyribonucleases, Type II Site-Specific; C018492:GCCNNNNNGGC-specific type II deoxyribonucleases