title: Genetic analysis of Asian measles virus strains--new endemic genotype in Nepal.
abstract: In many parts of Asia measles virus (MV) continues to be endemic. However, little is known about the genetic characteristics of viruses circulating on this continent. This study reports the molecular epidemiological analysis based on the entire nucleocapsid (N) and hemagglutinin (H) genes of the first isolates from Nepal and Taiwan, as well as of recent MV strains from India, Indonesia, and China. Four isolates collected in various regions in Nepal during 1999 belonged to a new genotype, tentatively called D8. Another Nepalese isolate and one from India belonged to genotype D4. The diversity of the Nepalese strains indicated that measles continues to be endemic in this country. The isolate from Taiwan grouped with D3 viruses and one Chinese strain isolated in The Netherlands was assigned to the previously described clade H, known to be endemic in Mainland China. Molecular characterization emerges as an important tool for monitoring virus endemicity and vaccination efforts.
authors.affiliation: Department of Immunology and WHO Collaborating Center for Measles, Laboratoire National de Santé, PO Box 1102, L-1011 Luxembourg.
authors.forename: A T
authors.initials: AT
authors.lastname: Truong
authors.forename: M N
authors.initials: MN
authors.lastname: Mulders
authors.forename: D C
authors.initials: DC
authors.lastname: Gautam
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Ammerlaan
authors.forename: R L
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: de Swart
authors.forename: C C
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: King
authors.forename: A D
authors.initials: AD
authors.lastname: Osterhaus
authors.forename: C P
authors.initials: CP
authors.lastname: Muller
mesh_terms: D002681:China; D005838:Genotype; D006389:Hemagglutinins, Viral / Q000235:genetics; D006801:Humans; D007194:India; D007214:Indonesia; D008457:Measles / Q000821:virology*; D008459:Measles virus / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009390:Nepal; D009426:Netherlands; D019251:Nucleocapsid / Q000235:genetics; D010802:Phylogeny; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D013624:Taiwan
chemical_list: D006389:Hemagglutinins, Viral; C032397:hemagglutinin protein G, measles virus