Basic rationale, current methods and future directions for molecular typing of human enterovirus

Abstract

Enterovirus is a genus of the Picornaviridae family including more than 80 serotypes belonging to four species designed Human enterovirus A to D. The antigens of the structural proteins support the subdivision of enteroviruses into multiple serotypes. Comparative phylogeny based on molecular typing methods has been of great help to classify former and new types of enterovirus, and to investigate the diversity of enteroviruses and the evolutionary mechanisms involved in their diversity. By now, molecular typing methods of enterovirus rely mainly on the sequencing of an amplicon targeting a variable part of the region coding for the capsid proteins (VP1 and, alternatively, VP2 or VP4), either from a strain recovered by cell culture or, more recently, by direct amplification of a clinical or environmental specimen. In the future, microarrays are thought to play a major role in enterovirus typing and in the analysis of the determinants of virulence that support the puzzling diversity of the pathological conditions associated with human infection by these viruses.

Molecular Characterization of Human Enteroviruses in the Central African Republic: Uncovering Wide Diversity and Identification of a New Human Enterovirus A71 Genogroup

“…An alternative typing method (40,41), based on partial sequencing of the VP2 region, was used in parallel. A huge diversity of serotypes was observed.…”

Detection and distribution of culturable Human Enteroviruses through environmental surveillance in Milan, Italy

“…However, molecular assays compared with the methods presented in this study could have some drawbacks, like the inability of the molecular tests to provide information on virus viability, the possible differences in the limits of detection and the diversity of primer or probe sequences for HEV detection and typing (Heim 2005;Nasri et al 2007;Perera et al 2010;Ge et al 2013). Moreover, reverse transcription or PCR detection may be limited by large sample volumes, or inhibition of enzymatic amplification due to the presence of organic matter and/or metals in environmental sample (Egger et al 1995).…”

Virology, epidemiology, pathogenesis, and control of enterovirus 71

“…The original classifi cation of human enteroviruses has been substituted by a taxonomic scheme based on molecular and biological properties of the viruses. 20 This revised classifi cation recognises at least 90 subtypes and separates them into four species (table 1). Polioviruses have been designated as members of the human enterovirus C species because they are genetically closely related.…”