Determination of serotypes of astroviruses by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction and homologies of the types by the sequencing of Japanese isolates.
Human standard astroviruses, serotypes 1 to 7, and 35 Japanese isolates were typed by reverse transcription and polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) with serotype-specific primers for the first time. The results were identical with those obtained by enzyme immunoassay with serotype-specific polyclonal antibodies, a method which has already been reported. RT-PCR with serotype-specific primers is useful for epidemiological studies of astroviruses where serotype-specific polyclonal antibodies are not available. Two parts of the capsid region, N terminus and C terminus, were sequenced. Serotypes differed in those regions. The N terminus differed less than the C terminus between serotypes. Both the N terminus and C terminus were similar intraserotypically with the exception of serotype-4 isolates which could be divided into A and B subgroups on the basis of their C terminus sequences, which were not known previously.
Matsui
M
M
Department of Maternal and Child Health, Faculty of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Japan.
Ushijima
H
H
Hachiya
M
M
Kakizawa
J
J
Wen
L
L
Oseto
M
M
Morooka
K
K
Kurtz
J B
JB
D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D019350:Astroviridae Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000821:virology*; D001483:Base Sequence; D002213:Capsid / Q000235:genetics; D017931:DNA Primers; D003967:Diarrhea / Q000821:virology; D005243:Feces / Q000821:virology; D006801:Humans; D007124:Immunoenzyme Techniques; D007564:Japan / Q000453:epidemiology; D001257:Mamastrovirus / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000032:analysis / Q000302:isolation & purification; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000379:methods*; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D012689:Sequence Homology, Nucleic Acid; D012703:Serotyping
D017931:DNA Primers; D012367:RNA, Viral