title: Measles virus strains circulating in Ethiopia in 1998-1999: molecular characterisation using oral fluid samples and identification of a new genotype.
abstract: A measles outbreak in December 1998 in Bedelle (vaccine coverage <40%) and two sporadic cases in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, were investigated. Paired serum and oral fluid samples were collected 2-8 days after the onset of symptoms. A total of 53 of 55 outbreak cases and both sporadic cases were positive for serum measles virus-specific IgM. Oral fluid measles-specific IgM was positive in 71% of cases collected up to 5 days after onset and in 90% collected at 6-8 days. By contrast, 100% of oral fluid samples were positive for measles virus RNA by RT-PCR, suggesting that early collection of samples favoured the detection of measles virus RNA by RT-PCR. The measles virus strain in the outbreak was identified as genotype D4. One strain from a sporadic case was also genotype D4; the strain from the other sporadic case was assigned to clade D but was distinct. The degree of divergence from recognised clade D strains suggested that, together with three strains from the United Kingdom, it represents an additional genotype of clade D (GenBank accession numbers AF280800-280807).
authors.affiliation: Ethiopian Health and Nutrition Research Institute, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Nigatu
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Jin
authors.forename: B J
authors.initials: BJ
authors.lastname: Cohen
authors.forename: D J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Nokes
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Etana
authors.forename: F T
authors.initials: FT
authors.lastname: Cutts
authors.forename: D W
authors.initials: DW
authors.lastname: Brown
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004196:Disease Outbreaks; D005002:Ethiopia / Q000453:epidemiology; D005838:Genotype; D006801:Humans; D007075:Immunoglobulin M / Q000097:blood; D007223:Infant; D008457:Measles / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000276:immunology / Q000821:virology; D008459:Measles virus / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D017720:Molecular Epidemiology; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010802:Phylogeny; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000032:analysis / Q000235:genetics; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012463:Saliva / Q000276:immunology / Q000821:virology
chemical_list: D007075:Immunoglobulin M; D012367:RNA, Viral