title: The large 386-nt deletion in SARS-associated coronavirus: evidence for quasispecies?
abstract: The severe acute respiratory syndrome-associated coronavirus (SARS-CoV) is reported to have deletions of various sizes. Recently, the large 386-nucleotide deletion (L386del) comprising nucleotide positions 27719-28104 and spanning open reading frames 9-11 has been reported in the genomes of some human isolates from Hong Kong. In this study, archived specimens from 71 patients with SARS who were admitted to the New Territory East Cluster Hospitals in Hong Kong were analyzed to determine whether the L386del variant of SARS-CoV was present. There was no clear relationship between the presence of the L386del variant and SARS clinical severity as defined either by the need for intensive-care therapy and/or ventilation or by death. One patient had evidence of both the L386del variant and the wild-type variant in the same clinical specimen, supporting the idea that SARS-CoV exists as a quasispecies in some patients, although the clinical significance of these quasispecies remains unclear.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Prince of Wales Hospital, Shatin, New Territories, Hong Kong SAR, China.
authors.forename: Julian W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Tang
authors.forename: Jo L K
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Cheung
authors.forename: Ida M T
authors.initials: IM
authors.lastname: Chu
authors.forename: Joseph J Y
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Sung
authors.forename: Malik
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Peiris
authors.forename: Paul K S
authors.initials: PK
authors.lastname: Chan
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001483:Base Sequence; D004196:Disease Outbreaks; D005260:Female; D023061:Gene Order; D006723:Hong Kong / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D016366:Open Reading Frames / Q000235:genetics; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D045473:Severe acute respiratory syndrome-related coronavirus / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D017384:Sequence Deletion / Q000235:genetics*; D045169:Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000821:virology*; D013997:Time Factors