Asian genotypes of JC virus in Japanese-Americans suggest familial transmission.
To examine the mode of JC virus (JCV) transmission, we collected urine samples from second- and third-generation Japanese-Americans in Los Angeles, Calif., whose parents and grandparents were all Japanese. From the urine samples of these Japanese-Americans, we mainly detected two subtypes (CY and MY) of JCV that are predominantly found among native Japanese. This finding provides support for the hypothesis that JCV is transmitted mainly within the family through long-term cohabitation.
Department of Molecular and Experimental Medicine, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, California 92037, USA. msuzuki@scripps.edu
Makoto
M
Suzuki
Huai-Ying
HY
Zheng
Tomokazu
T
Takasaka
Chie
C
Sugimoto
Tadaichi
T
Kitamura
Ernest
E
Beutler
Yoshiaki
Y
Yogo
D001213:Asian; D002140:California; D005190:Family; D005838:Genotype; D006801:Humans; D007577:JC Virus / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics; D007968:Leukoencephalopathy, Progressive Multifocal / Q000235:genetics / Q000635:transmission*; D010802:Phylogeny