title: Genome variability of human adenovirus type 8 causing epidemic keratoconjunctivitis during 1986-2003 in Japan.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Epidemic keratoconjunctivitis (EKC) is a contagious acute conjunctivitis associated with community-acquired infection. Human adenovirus type 8 (HAdV-8) is one of the major serotypes isolated from patients with EKC. DNA restriction enzyme analyses were performed to investigate the genetic characteristics of the isolates and their chronological pattern.
  
  
  METHODS
  Viral samples were taken from 11 strains isolated from sporadic cases of EKC and identified as HAdV-8 by the neutralization method with type-specific antiserum against HAdV-8 between 1986 and 2003 in Japan. DNA restriction enzyme analysis included six restriction enzymes: BamHI, HindIII, PstI, SacI, SalI, and SmaI.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The restriction patterns revealed that the genome types were HAdV-8A and HAdV-8B in 1986, HAdV-8K in 1991, and HAdV-8E in 1996. HAdV-8K was a new genome type revealed with the enzyme SacI. Two strains isolated in 2003 exhibited identical restriction patterns as HAdV-54, which was described in 2008 and collected from Japanese patients in 2000.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Genetic changes might occur chronologically in HAdV-8. HAdV-8 displays considerable variability. The investigations of these variants might be helpful for defining the evolutionary tendency and to predict future outbreaks of HAdV infection.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Hokkaido University Graduate School of Medicine, Sapporo, Japan.
authors.forename: Xue-Hai
authors.initials: XH
authors.lastname: Jin
authors.forename: Koki
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Aoki
authors.forename: Nobuyoshi
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Kitaichi
authors.forename: Toshihide
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ariga
authors.forename: Susumu
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ishida
authors.forename: Shigeaki
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ohno
mesh_terms: D000260:Adenoviruses, Human / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D058872:Epidemics; D014644:Genetic Variation; D016679:Genome, Viral / Q000235:genetics*; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan / Q000453:epidemiology; D007637:Keratoconjunctivitis / Q000097:blood / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000821:virology*; D010802:Phylogeny; D015183:Restriction Mapping; D012703:Serotyping