title: Genotype of varicella-zoster virus isolates in South Korea.
abstract: Information about the genotype of varicella-zoster virus (VZV) is useful to monitor outbreaks of vaccine strains. However, in South Korea, where varicella vaccine was introduced in 1988, there are limited data about the genotype of VZV. VZV was isolated from vesicular lesions of patients with herpes zoster or varicella in South Korea between January 2007 and June 2009. DNAs were purified from single-passage isolates. The genotype was determined by sequence analysis of open reading frame (ORF) 22. The PstI restriction enzyme site in ORF 38 and the BglI restriction enzyme site in ORF 54 were evaluated by restriction enzyme analysis. Forty-four patients with herpes zoster and nine patients with varicella were enrolled. The median age of patients with herpes zoster was 59.5 (range, 10 to 77) years, and the median age of patients with varicella was 8 (range, 6 to 9) years. In sequence analysis of ORF 22, all isolates were genotype J, irrespective of the age group. In restriction enzyme analysis, 51 of 54 (94.3%) isolates contained a PstI site in ORF 38, and all isolates contained a BglI site in ORF 54. Our data suggest that genotype J has been circulating since the 1940s in South Korea.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Kye-Hyung
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Young Ju
authors.initials: YJ
authors.lastname: Choi
authors.forename: Kyoung-Ho
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Song
authors.forename: Wan Beom
authors.initials: WB
authors.lastname: Park
authors.forename: Jae-Hyun
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Jeon
authors.forename: Sang-Won
authors.initials: SW
authors.lastname: Park
authors.forename: Hong Bin
authors.initials: HB
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Nam Joong
authors.initials: NJ
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Myoung-Don
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Oh
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002644:Chickenpox / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000821:virology*; D002648:Child; D016000:Cluster Analysis; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D005260:Female; D005838:Genotype; D006562:Herpes Zoster / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000821:virology*; D014645:Herpesvirus 3, Human / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017720:Molecular Epidemiology; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D056910:Republic of Korea / Q000453:epidemiology; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D014764:Viral Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D004279:DNA, Viral; D014764:Viral Proteins