Identification of three lineages of wild measles virus by nucleotide sequence analysis of N, P, M, F, and L genes in Japan

Abstract

The nucleotide sequences of nucleocapsid (N), phosphoprotein (P), matrix (M), fusion (F), and large protein (L) genes were partly determined for 19 wild strains of measles virus (MV) isolated over the past 10 years in Japan (nucleotide position N: 1301-1700, P: 1751-2190, M: 3571-4057, F: 6621-7210, L: 10381-11133) and also for a MV strain obtained from a patient with subacute sclerosing panencephalitis (SSPE) who had natural measles in 1980. The phylogenetic trees of these strains drawn for respective genes were very similar to each other and revealed that all the wild strains were classified chronologically into 3 subgroups, those isolated in 1984, 1984-1989, and 1990-1994. The SSPE strain was classified into the subgroup of 1984. Phylogenetic tree analyses including other strains in the world revealed that Japanese strains in 1984 were classified into a distinct lineage which might correlate with the European strains from late 1970s to mid 1980s. Japanese strains from 1984 to 1989 were almost identical to those of the United States isolated from 1989 to 1992, and Japanese strains in 1990s were related closely to some of the MV strains isolated in 1994 in the United States. Genetic recombination among the MV genes seemed not to have occurred.

Comparative Analysis of Titers of Antibody against Measles Virus in Sera of Vaccinated and Naturally Infected Japanese Individuals of Different Age Groups

“…The genotype A includes the Edmonston strain, a standard strain of MV, which is the parental strain of the current vaccine strain. The genotypes D3 and D5 represent the majority of field strains that are currently circulating in Japan (11,25,26,34). NT antibody titers against the genotype D5 were practically the same as those against the genotype D3 (data not shown) and were in good correlation with those against the genotype A, regardless of whether subjects had been vaccinated or naturally infected (Fig.…”

“…Due partly, if not entirely, to the secondary vaccine failure, the numbers of measles cases among adolescents (10 to 19 years old) and adults (20 to 39 years old) in Japan increased 1.7 times and 2.3 times, respectively, in 2001 over the previous year (10). Also, the latest studies have demonstrated the heterogeneous nature of MV, such as variations in hemagglutination (HA) activities (23,28) and electrophoretic mobility (21) of the H protein, variations in reactivity to monoclonal antibody (13), and nucleotide sequence diversity (11,25,26,34) between vaccine strains and currently circulating field strains. It is necessary, therefore, to compare the viral immunogenicity to humans between the two types of viruses and evaluate the protective efficacy of vaccine strains against currently circulating MV strains.…”

Molecular Epidemiology of Measles Viruses in the United States, 1997–2001

“…Genotype D5, along with D3, is one of the genotypes known to have endemic circulation in Japan (11). Epidemiologic investigations indicated that Japan was the source of infection for 6 of the 10 sporadic cases and two of the outbreaks.…”

Genetic Homogeneity of Measles Viruses Associated with a Measles Outbreak, São Paulo, Brazil, 1997

“…Genotype D5 was detected in a sporadic case in São Paulo in 1995 and in sporadic cases that occurred in the state of Bahia in 1996 (21). Genotype D5 viruses that circulate in Japan have been associated with importation of viruses from Japan into other countries (26,32,33). The source of the genotype D5 viruses detected in São Paulo and Bahia was not identified.…”