The Molecular Epidemiology of Varicella‐Zoster Virus: Evidence for Geographic Segregation

Mark Quinlivan(Queen Mary University of London), K. Hawrami(Queen Mary University of London), Winsome Y. Barrett-Muir(Queen Mary University of London), Peter Aaby(Bandim Health Project), Ann M. Arvin(Stanford University), Vincent Chow(National University of Singapore), T. Jacob John(Christian Medical College & Hospital), P Matondo(University Teaching Hospital), Malik Peiris(University of Hong Kong), Anja Poulsen(Bandim Health Project), Marilda Mendonça Siqueira(Fundação Oswaldo Cruz), Michiaki Takahashi(Microbial Chemistry Research Foundation), Yamima Talukder(Queen Mary University of London), Koichi Yamanishi(Osaka University), M. Leedham-Green(Queen Mary University of London), Fiona Scott(Queen Mary University of London), Sara L. Thomas(University of London), Judith Breuer(Queen Mary University of London)
The Journal of Infectious Diseases
September 25, 2002
10.1086/344228
Cited by 100

Abstract

Of 75 varicella-zoster virus (VZV) isolates obtained from patients in Africa, Asia, and the Far East, 74 (98.6%) were found to be positive for a BglI restriction site in gene 54. By contrast, <22% of strains from patients in the United Kingdom and in North and South America were positive for the BglI restriction site. Viruses positive for BglI were significantly more common in zoster occurring in patients of nonwhite origin (P<.05). Irrespective of the country in which the sample was obtained, 98% of strains positive for BglI clustered within a single phylogenetic group, which we termed "group A"; the exception was 1 strain that appeared to be recombinant genotype C/A. We used the BglI site to examine both the spread of type A viruses in the United Kingdom and the patterns of VZV infections within persons from different ethnic groups who grew up in the United Kingdom or abroad.

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