Characterization of nonpolio enteroviruses recovered from patients with aseptic meningitis in Korea.
OBJECTIVE
We attempted to characterize nonpolio enteroviruses recovered from Korean patients with aseptic meningitis.


METHODS
We performed RT-PCR on the 5'-nontranslated region using clinical specimens. Infectious clinical isolates were amplified by infecting Vero cells with RT-PCR-positive clinical specimens. We then investigated the direct effect in primary neuronal cells or cardiomyocytes following virus infection.


RESULTS
Total 12 clinical isolates were subtypically analyzed by both RT-PCR/sequencing comparison of the VP-1 region and neutralization assay. 43-2, 43-2S, 57 and 58 were found to be coxsackievirus B1 (CVB1), 312 to be CVB5, 14-2S and 327 to be echovirus 6, 165 to be echovirus 9, 337 to be echovirus 11, and 270 to be echovirus 30. All the clinical isolates tested showed profound cytotoxicity to various degrees in the primary neuronal cells within 24 h postinfection at 10 MOI. By contrast, a significant cytopathic effect was observed in the primary cardiomyocytes at 3-5 days postinfection at 50 MOI.


CONCLUSIONS
The present study suggests that the clinical isolates recovered from Korean patients belonged to different CVB or echovirus serotypes and that these viruses showed diversities in their virulence in primary neuronal cells and cardiomyocytes.
Joo
Chul Hyun
CH
Department of Microbiology, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
Ahn
Jeonghyun
J
Seo
Ilsun
I
Kim
Yoo Kyum
YK
Kim
Donghou
D
Hong
Heanam
H
Lee
Heuiran
H
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000818:Animals; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002522:Chlorocebus aethiops; D003588:Cytopathogenic Effect, Viral; D004458:Echovirus 6, Human / Q000145:classification / Q000302:isolation & purification; D004459:Echovirus 9 / Q000145:classification / Q000302:isolation & purification; D004457:Echovirus Infections / Q000821:virology*; D029822:Enterovirus B, Human / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D004769:Enterovirus Infections / Q000821:virology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007723:Korea; D008297:Male; D008582:Meningitis, Aseptic / Q000821:virology*; D032383:Myocytes, Cardiac / Q000821:virology; D009474:Neurons / Q000821:virology; D022661:RNA, Untranslated / Q000235:genetics; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000235:genetics; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D012703:Serotyping; D014709:Vero Cells; D014776:Virus Cultivation
D022661:RNA, Untranslated; D012367:RNA, Viral