title: Molecular evolution and phylogeny of dengue type 4 virus in the Caribbean.
abstract: We sequenced the E gene and adjacent prM/M and NS1 junctions (1940 bp) of 48 Dengue-4 (DEN-4) isolates collected between 1981 and 1999 from 8 Caribbean islands and from 7 South and Central American countries. Phylogenetic analysis confirms a single introduction in the early 1980s and a high degree of gene flow resulting in a pattern of evolution defined more by time period than geographic origin, especially within the Caribbean basin. A modern Caribbean clade consisting of four distinct lineages has arisen, comprised of isolates from Caribbean islands and nearby regions of South America. This clade is defined by three amino acid substitutions in the E (aa 163 and 351) and NS1 (aa 52) proteins. These findings highlight the importance of migration and gene flow in dengue viral change and suggest that efforts to understand disease dynamics in the Caribbean basin need to focus at regional, rather than local scales.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pre-Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of the West Indies, St. Augustine, Trinidad.
authors.forename: Jerome E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Foster
authors.forename: Shannon N
authors.initials: SN
authors.lastname: Bennett
authors.forename: Helen
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Vaughan
authors.forename: Vance
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Vorndam
authors.forename: W Owen
authors.initials: WO
authors.lastname: McMillan
authors.forename: Christine V F
authors.initials: CV
authors.lastname: Carrington
mesh_terms: D017691:Caribbean Region; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000032:analysis; D003715:Dengue / Q000821:virology*; D003716:Dengue Virus / Q000235:genetics*; D019143:Evolution, Molecular; D006801:Humans; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010802:Phylogeny; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D014759:Viral Envelope Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D017361:Viral Nonstructural Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D004279:DNA, Viral; D014759:Viral Envelope Proteins; D017361:Viral Nonstructural Proteins