[Genotype analysis of enterovirus type 71 detected from patients with hand-foot-mouth disease in Shenzhen].

OBJECTIVE

To carry out genotype analysis of enterovirus type 71, detected from hand-foot-mouth disease patients in Shenzhen in 2004.

METHODS

All samples were tested by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) using EV71 specific primer. The VP1 and VP4 of EV71 were cloned and sequenced. A phylogenetic tree was constructed by comparing the sequences with genogroups A, B and C genotypes using TreeView and PHYLIP software (3.6b).

RESULTS

The VP1 nucleotide sequence of 4 strains isolated from Shenzhen shared 87.8% - 92.0% identity with genogroup C, while the homogeneity of the VP4 nucleotide sequence was between 85.9% - 87.4%. The homogeneity of the VP1 nucleotide sequence with genotypes A and B was between 81.9% - 84.2% and was 80.6% - 85.0% with VP4. Among the 4 strains, the homogeneity of the VP1 nucleotide sequence was between 94.1% - 99.8% and was 100% with VP4 which formed a small group and could denominate EV71 genetype C4.

CONCLUSION

Similar results were obtained from phylogenetic analysis of EV71 based on VP1 and VP4 nucleotide sequence. The four EV71 strains causing epidemic in Shenzhen could be named as C4 subgroups.