The genotyping and molecular evolution of varicella-zoster virus.
- Author:
Long-Feng JIANG
1
;
Lin GAN
;
Jing-Xian CHEN
;
Ming-Li WANG
Author Information
1. Department of Microbiology, Anhui Medical University, Hefei 230032, China. fishjiang88@yahoo.com.cn
- Publication Type:Journal Article
- MeSH:
Animals;
Base Sequence;
Evolution, Molecular;
Genotype;
Herpes Zoster;
virology;
Herpesvirus 3, Human;
classification;
genetics;
isolation & purification;
Humans;
Molecular Sequence Data;
Phylogeny
- From:
Chinese Journal of Virology
2012;28(5):584-590
- CountryChina
- Language:Chinese
-
Abstract:
Varicella-zoster virus (VZV, Human herpesvirus 3) is a member of the family Herpesviridae, and is classified as alpha-subfamily along with HSV-1 and HSV-2. VZV is the causative agent of chicken pox (varicella) mostly in children, after which it establishes latency in the sensory ganglia with the potential to reactivate at a later time to cause shingles (zoster). Increasing molecular epidemiological studies in recent years have been performed to monitor the mutations in VZV genome, discriminate vaccine virus from wild type virus, study the phylogeny of VZV strains throughout the world, and understand the evolution of the different clades of VZV. The progress has great impact on the fields of epidemiology, virology and bioinformatics. In this review, the currently available data concerning the geographic distribution and molecular evolution of VZV clades are discussed.
