title: Molecular Epidemiological Study of Mumps Epidemics of 2015 in Okinawa, Japan.
abstract: Although major mumps epidemics occurred every 4-5 years in Okinawa Prefecture in Japan, no laboratory diagnoses were conducted. A mumps epidemic started in Okinawa in October 2014, and we collected clinical samples from 31 patients in 4 areas (Hokubu, Nanbu, Miyako, and Yaeyama) from July to December 2015, for virus isolation and RT-PCR, whose positive ratios were 52% and 87%, respectively. Phylogenetic analyses showed that all isolates were classified into genotype G, and with one exception, consisted of 2 subgenotypes, Ge (55.6%) and Gw (40.7%), which have been prominent in Japan recently. One isolate was classified in another lineage, which was detected in Japan for the first time, and was similar to a Hong Kong isolate from 2014. Remarkably, the geographic distributions of the 2 major lineages were separated. The Ge viruses were isolated from the main island of Okinawa and the Yaeyama Islands, whereas the Gw isolates were mainly detected from the Miyako Islands. These results suggest that the Ge and Gw mumps viruses mainly caused the mumps epidemics of 2015 in Okinawa, and that they spread independently in separate regions. This is the first report describing the molecular epidemiology of mumps epidemics in Okinawa Prefecture.
authors.affiliation: Okinawa Prefectural Institute of Health and Environment.
authors.forename: Yumani
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kuba
authors.affiliation: Okinawa Prefectural Institute of Health and Environment.
authors.forename: Hisako
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kyan
authors.affiliation: Okinawa Prefectural Institute of Health and Environment.
authors.forename: Eri
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Arakaki
authors.affiliation: Okinawa Prefectural Institute of Health and Environment.
authors.forename: Taketoshi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Takara
authors.affiliation: Okinawa Prefectural Institute of Health and Environment.
authors.forename: Takashi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kato
authors.affiliation: Okinawa Prefectural Institute of Health and Environment.
authors.forename: Sho
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Okano
authors.affiliation: Okinawa Prefectural Institute of Health and Environment.
authors.forename: Yuko
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Oshiro
authors.affiliation: Okinawa Prefectural Institute of Health and Environment.
authors.forename: Jun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kudaka
authors.affiliation: Department of Virology III, National Institute of Infectious Diseases.
authors.forename: Minoru
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kidokoro
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D058872:Epidemics; D005260:Female; D005838:Genotype; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D017720:Molecular Epidemiology; D009107:Mumps / Q000453:epidemiology*; D009109:Mumps virus / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction
keywords: Okinawa Prefecture; genotype; molecular epidemiology; mumps virus