Clinical and genetic characterization of measles viruses isolated from adult patients in Shanghai in 2006.
BACKGROUND
In recent years there has been an increase in adult measles cases in Shanghai, and an outbreak occurred in 2005. Although there have been many studies analyzing the genotype of measles virus from pediatric patients in various parts of China, there is little information on the clinical findings and genetic makeup of adult measles.


OBJECTIVE
Clinical information and phylogenetic analysis of adult measles infection in Shanghai.


METHODS
Blood, urine, throat swabs, and clinical information were collected from adult measles patients reporting to three major hospitals in Shanghai. Measles virus was isolated in Vero-SLAM cells. The C-terminus of the N gene of the isolates was sequenced and analyzed with reference to sequences obtained from GenBank.


RESULTS
More than half of the patients developed severe clinical symptoms. None of the patients knew their measles vaccination history. All measles virus isolates had the same amino acid substitutions as the two standard H1a measles strains at position 484 and were classified as H1a genotype and could be further divided into three small clusters.


CONCLUSIONS
The genotype of the predominant measles virus causing disease in adults in Shanghai is H1a.
Yu
Xuelian
X
Scientific Research Unit, Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center, Public Health Clinical Center Affiliated to Fudan University, Shanghai, PR China.
Qian
Fangxin
F
Sheng
Yinzhong
Y
Xie
Desheng
D
Li
Dan
D
Huang
Qin
Q
Zhang
Yong
Y
Yuan
Zhenghong
Z
Ghildyal
Reena
R
D000328:Adult; D019943:Amino Acid Substitution; D000818:Animals; D002681:China / Q000453:epidemiology; D002522:Chlorocebus aethiops; D003231:Conjunctivitis / Q000473:pathology; D004196:Disease Outbreaks; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008457:Measles / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000473:pathology; D008459:Measles virus / Q000145:classification / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D008875:Middle Aged; D019590:Nucleocapsid Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D010802:Phylogeny; D011014:Pneumonia / Q000473:pathology; D014505:Urban Population; D014709:Vero Cells
D019590:Nucleocapsid Proteins