title: Epidemiology of human cytomegalovirus strains through comparison of methodological approaches to explore gN variants.
abstract: Genomic variation among human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) wild-type strains is a well-documented phenomenon probably implicated in HCMV-induced immunopathogenesis. Extensive genetic polymorphism has been detected for the envelope glycoprotein N (gN) and HCMV clinical isolates have been clustered into seven distinct gN variants (gN-1, gN-2, gN-3a, gN-3b, gN-4a, gN-4b, gN-4c). Several studies from different research groups worldwide have addressed this topic using different methodological approaches (PCR-RFLP, PCR-Cloning, PCR-Sequencing) and sometimes yielding apparently conflicting results. This paper analyses the epidemiology of HCMV strains through analysis of gN variants, criticizing the methodological approaches and study populations by comparison of published reports.
authors.affiliation: Department of Haematology, Oncology and Laboratory Medicine, Clinical Unit of Microbiology, St. Orsola Malpighi General Hospital, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy. sara.pignatelli@unibo.it
authors.forename: Sara
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Pignatelli
authors.forename: Paola
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Dal Monte
mesh_terms: D001483:Base Sequence; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003587:Cytomegalovirus / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D003586:Cytomegalovirus Infections / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000821:virology; D005260:Female; D014644:Genetic Variation; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012150:Polymorphism, Restriction Fragment Length; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D014759:Viral Envelope Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D014759:Viral Envelope Proteins; C417883:glycoprotein N, Human cytomegalovirus