title: Characterization of measles virus strains circulating in Southern Italy (Palermo area, Sicily) between 2010 and 2011.
abstract: Measles virus (MV) was classified in 24 genotypes that show a distinct geographic distribution. Genotypes contain multiple distinct lineages. In 2011 large outbreaks of measles occurred in Italy and in many European countries. Aims of this study are to analyze the intra-genotype variability and to follow the importation and the spread of new MV strains in Sicily. A fragment of 450 bps of MV C-terminal nucleoprotein was sequenced from sera of 73 Sicilian patients with symptomatic measles infections, occurred between 2010 and 2011. Five MV strains were D4 genotype and 68 were D8 genotype. The MV/D4 sequences were related to MV/D4-Enfield variant. Two lineages of MV/D8 genotypes, related to MV/D8-Villupuram variant and to a strain found in Birmingham in 2006 respectively, were identified. This is the first study that reports the co-circulation of different MV genotypes and lineages in Sicily suggesting multiple origins of the outbreak that occurred during 2010 and 2011 years.
authors.affiliation: (a)Sezione di Microbiologia "A.Chiarini", Italy.
authors.forename: Noemi
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Urone
authors.affiliation: Sezione di Malattie Infettive-Dipartimento di Scienze per la Promozione della Salute e Materno Infantile "G D'Alessandro" Università di Palermo, Italy.
authors.forename: Claudia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Colomba
authors.affiliation: (a)Sezione di Microbiologia "A.Chiarini", Italy. Electronic address: donatella.ferraro@unipa.it.
authors.forename: Donatella
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Ferraro
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D014644:Genetic Variation; D005838:Genotype; D049674:History, 21st Century; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008457:Measles / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000266:history / Q000821:virology*; D008459:Measles virus / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics*; D010802:Phylogeny; D012367:RNA, Viral; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D012802:Sicily; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D012367:RNA, Viral
keywords: Measles elimination; Measles virus genotype; Measles virus intra-genotypes variability; Measles virus lineage