title: Identification of a genomic subgroup of BK polyomavirus spread in European populations.
abstract: BK polyomavirus (BKV) is highly prevalent in the human population, infecting children without obvious symptoms and persisting in the kidney in a latent state. In immunosuppressed patients, BKV is reactivated and excreted in urine. BKV isolates worldwide are classified into four serologically distinct subtypes, I-IV, with subtype I being the most frequently detected. Furthermore, subtype I is subdivided into subgroups based on genomic variations. In this study, the distribution patterns of the subtypes and subgroups of BKV were compared among four patient populations with various immunosuppressive states and of various ethnic backgrounds: (A) Finnish renal-transplant recipients; (B) Irish/English haematopoietic stem-cell transplant recipients with and without haemorrhagic cystitis; (C) Japanese renal-transplant recipients; and (D) Japanese bone-marrow transplant recipients. The typing sequences (287 bp) of BKV in population A were determined in this study; those in populations B-D have been reported previously. These sequences were subjected to phylogenetic and single nucleotide polymorphism analyses. Based on the results of these analyses, the BKV isolates in the four patient populations were classified into subtypes and subgroups. The incidence of subtype IV varied significantly among patient populations. Furthermore, the incidence of subgroup Ib-2 within subtype I was high in populations A and B, whereas that of Ic was high in populations C and D (P<0.01). These results suggest that subgroup Ib-2 is widespread among Europeans, whereas Ic is unique to north-east Asians. Furthermore, a phylogenetic analysis based on complete BKV DNA sequences supported the hypothesis that there is geographical separation of European and Asian BKV strains.
authors.affiliation: National Research Institute of Police Science, 6-3-1 Kashiwanoha, Kashiwa, Chiba 277-0882, Japan.
authors.forename: Hiroshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ikegaya
authors.affiliation: Department of Forensic Medicine, University of Turku, Turku 20520, Finland.
authors.forename: Pekka J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Saukko
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Turku University Central Hospital, Turku 20520, Finland.
authors.forename: Risto
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Tertti
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Turku University Central Hospital, Turku 20520, Finland.
authors.forename: Kaj P
authors.initials: KP
authors.lastname: Metsärinne
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Microbiology, Trinity Centre for Health Sciences, University of Dublin, Trinity College, St James's Hospital, Dublin, Ireland.
authors.forename: Michael J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Carr
authors.affiliation: National Virus Reference Laboratory, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin, Ireland.|Department of Microbiology, Central Pathology Laboratory, St James's Hospital, Dublin, Ireland.
authors.forename: Brendan
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Crowley
authors.affiliation: National Research Institute of Police Science, 6-3-1 Kashiwanoha, Kashiwa, Chiba 277-0882, Japan.
authors.forename: Koichi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Sakurada
authors.affiliation: Department of Urology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tokyo, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan.
authors.forename: Huai-Ying
authors.initials: HY
authors.lastname: Zheng
authors.affiliation: Department of Urology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tokyo, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan.
authors.forename: Tadaichi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kitamura
authors.affiliation: Department of Urology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tokyo, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan.
authors.forename: Yoshiaki
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yogo
mesh_terms: D044466:Asian People; D001739:BK Virus / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics* / Q000472:pathogenicity; D016026:Bone Marrow Transplantation / Q000009:adverse effects; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000032:analysis / Q000235:genetics; D014644:Genetic Variation; D018380:Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation / Q000009:adverse effects; D006801:Humans; D016030:Kidney Transplantation / Q000009:adverse effects; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010802:Phylogeny; D027601:Polyomavirus Infections / Q000150:complications / Q000821:virology*; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000821:virology; D014412:Tumor Virus Infections / Q000150:complications / Q000208:ethnology / Q000821:virology*; D014774:Virulence; D044465:White People
chemical_list: D004279:DNA, Viral