title: Molecular characterization of hepatitis A virus isolates from Argentina.
abstract: Hepatitis A, a vaccine preventable disease, is now of transitional or intermediate endemicity in Argentina, as the epidemiologic pattern of the disease has shifted with improvements in living conditions in some parts of the country. Increase in the susceptibility of older children and adults has led to increasing disease incidence. Molecular epidemiology has played an important role in the understanding of HAV infection by identifying modes of spreading and by permitting the monitoring of changes in circulating virus brought about by prevention programs. South American isolates characterized are limited. Eighty-two sporadic and outbreak isolates from Argentina were sequenced in the VP1/2A region of HAV genome over a 9-year period. All the isolates belonged to subgenotype IA. All our sequences grouped into two big clusters. Apparently, at least two lineages have been co-circulating in the same place at the same time. Despite great genetic variability, few point amino acid changes could be deduced. Four sequences showed an Arg --> Lys substitution at 1-297 which characterized the genotype IB at the amino acid level. Many isolates carried a conservative amino acid substitution Leu --> Ile at position 42 of the 2A domain, previously described as a possible fingerprint of HAV sequences in Brazil. The other rare changes have been found before, except for a 1-277 Asn --> Ser substitution displayed in two isolates that has not been previously reported. Argentina recently implemented universal vaccination in 1-year-old children. Molecular tools would be useful in an active surveillance program.
authors.affiliation: Lab. Nac.de Referencia Hepatitis Virales, Instituto Nacional de Enfermedades Infecciosas, ANLIS Dr. C.G. Malbrán, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, Argentina. smunne@anlis.gov.ar
authors.forename: María S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Munné
authors.forename: Sara
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Vladimirsky
authors.forename: Lucio
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Otegui
authors.forename: Sonia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Soto
authors.forename: Leonardo
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Brajterman
authors.forename: Raúl
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Castro
authors.forename: María C Cañero
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Velasco
authors.forename: Alicia
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bonnano
authors.forename: Eduardo
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Fernández
authors.forename: Carlos
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Remondegui
authors.forename: Carlos
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Passeggi
authors.forename: Claudia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Rodríguez
authors.forename: Marta
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pizarro
authors.forename: Adriana
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Fabre
authors.forename: Rita
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Moreiro
authors.forename: Jorge
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Quarleri
authors.forename: Jorge E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: González
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D019943:Amino Acid Substitution; D001118:Argentina / Q000453:epidemiology; D001483:Base Sequence; D002648:Child; D017931:DNA Primers / Q000235:genetics; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000235:genetics; D006506:Hepatitis A / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000821:virology; D030041:Hepatitis A virus / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D006801:Humans; D017720:Molecular Epidemiology; D010802:Phylogeny; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D015678:Viral Structural Proteins / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D017931:DNA Primers; D004279:DNA, Viral; C096539:VP1 protein, hepatitis A virus; D015678:Viral Structural Proteins