1
|
Genetic Characterizations and Molecular Evolution of the Measles Virus Genotype B3's Hemagglutinin (H) Gene in the Elimination Era. Viruses 2021; 13:v13101970. [PMID: 34696400 PMCID: PMC8540759 DOI: 10.3390/v13101970] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/14/2021] [Revised: 09/10/2021] [Accepted: 09/26/2021] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Measles virus (MeV) genotype B3 is one globally significant circulating genotype. Here, we present a systematic description of long-term evolutionary characterizations of the MeV genotype B3's hemagglutinin (H) gene in the elimination era. Our results show that the B3 H gene can be divided into two main sub-genotypes, and the highest intra-genotypic diversity was observed in 2004. MeV genotype B3's H gene diverged in 1976; its overall nucleotide substitution rate is estimated to be 5.697 × 10-4 substitutions/site/year, and is slowing down. The amino acid substitution rate of genotype B3's H gene is also decreasing, and the mean effective population size has been in a downward trend since 2000. Selection pressure analysis only recognized a few sites under positive selection, and the number of positive selection sites is getting smaller. All of these observations may reveal that genotype B3's H gene is not under strong selection pressure, and is becoming increasingly conservative. MeV H-gene or whole-genome sequencing should be routine, so as to better elucidate the molecular epidemiology of MeV in the future.
Collapse
|
2
|
Zaidi SSZ, Hameed A, Ali N, Rana MS, Umair M, Alam MM, Aamir UB, Khurshid A, Sharif S, Shaukat S, Angez M, Mujtaba G, Arshad Y, Akthar R, Sufian MM, Mehmood N. Epidemiological and molecular investigation of a measles outbreak in Punjab, Pakistan, 2013-2015. J Med Virol 2018; 90:1297-1303. [PMID: 29704426 DOI: 10.1002/jmv.25206] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2017] [Accepted: 04/12/2018] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
Despite the availability of an effective vaccine, the measles virus continues to cause significant morbidity and mortality in children worldwide. Molecular characterization of wild-type measles strains is an invaluable component of epidemiological studies or surveillance systems that provides important information pertinent to outbreak linkages and transmission pathways. Serum samples and throat swabs were collected from suspected measles cases from the Punjab province of Pakistan (2013-2015) and further tested for measles immunoglobulin M (IgM) through enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction for molecular characterization. Among the total of 5415 blood samples, 59% tested positive for measles IgM. Males had a higher infection rate (55%) than females (45%), and the highest frequency of positive cases (63%) was found in the age group of 0 to 5 years. Partial sequencing of the nucleoprotein gene showed that 27 strains belonged to the B3 genotype, whereas 2 viruses were identified as D4. On phylogenetic analysis, Pakistani B3 strains were found to be closely related to previously reported indigenous strains and those from neighboring countries of Iran and Qatar. This is the first report on the detection of the measles B3 genotype from Punjab, Pakistan. The current study shows a high burden of measles infections in Punjab province owing to poor routine immunization coverage in major cities. It is imperative that national health authorities adopt strategic steps on an urgent basis for improvement of routine immunization coverage. Molecular epidemiology of the measles viruses circulating in different parts of the country can provide useful data to manage future outbreaks.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Syed Sohail Zahoor Zaidi
- Department of Microbiology, Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad, Pakistan.,Department of Virology, National Institute of Health, Chak Shahzad, Pakistan
| | - Abdul Hameed
- Department of Microbiology, Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad, Pakistan.,Department of Biological sciences, International Islamic University, Islamabad, Pakistan
| | - Naeem Ali
- Department of Microbiology, Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad, Pakistan
| | | | - Massab Umair
- Department of Virology, National Institute of Health, Chak Shahzad, Pakistan
| | | | - Uzma Bashir Aamir
- Department of Virology, National Institute of Health, Chak Shahzad, Pakistan
| | - Adnan Khurshid
- Department of Virology, National Institute of Health, Chak Shahzad, Pakistan
| | - Salmaan Sharif
- Department of Virology, National Institute of Health, Chak Shahzad, Pakistan
| | - Shahzad Shaukat
- Department of Virology, National Institute of Health, Chak Shahzad, Pakistan
| | - Mehar Angez
- Department of Virology, National Institute of Health, Chak Shahzad, Pakistan
| | - Ghulam Mujtaba
- Department of Virology, National Institute of Health, Chak Shahzad, Pakistan
| | - Yasir Arshad
- Department of Virology, National Institute of Health, Chak Shahzad, Pakistan
| | - Ribqa Akthar
- Department of Virology, National Institute of Health, Chak Shahzad, Pakistan
| | | | - Nayab Mehmood
- Department of Virology, National Institute of Health, Chak Shahzad, Pakistan
| |
Collapse
|