During the recent epidemic period (1995~1996), seven strains of rubella virus were isolated in Korea. To analyze phylogenetic relationship between seven Korean strains and rubella virus strains from other different geographical areas, structural genes (E1, E2 and C) of Korean strains were enzymatically amplified and automatically sequenced. The sequence similarities of the E1, E2 and C genes of the cosmopolitan types were 95.8~98.1%, 92.6~99.2% and 96.4~99.3% based on 1,441, 122 and 139 nucleotides and 96.9~98.5%, 90~100% and 97.8~100% based on 480, 40 and 46 amino acids compared to the sequences of strain RA27/3, respectively. In contrast, the sequence similarities of the E1, E2 and C genes of the Asian types were 91.5~92.1%, 83.6~88.5% and 91.4% based on nucleotides ad 96.9~97.7%, 85.5% and 97.8% based on amino acids compared to the sequences of strain RA27/3. respectively. However, immunodominent epitopes of the E1 gene of the cosmopolitan and Asian types were well conserved, and the growth patterns in cell culture and immunofluorescent antibody titers in cross-reaction test showed no differences between two different types. In phylogenetic analysis based on nucleotide sequences of each gene regions, the comopolitan and Asian types formed tow distinct phylogenetic lineages. These data showed two distinct genotypes of rubella viruses cocirculated in Korea, but no significant differences in the antigenicity of two different rubella virus strains were found.
Amino Acids ; Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; Base Sequence ; Cell Culture Techniques ; Epitopes ; Genotype ; Humans ; Korea ; Nucleotides ; Rubella virus* ; Rubella* ; Sequence Analysis*

The genome of Hantaan virus, the prototype of the hantavirus genus, is composed of three segmented, single stranded negative sense RNA genome. The 5' and 3' termini of the Hantaan virus RNA genome contain noncoding regions (NCRs) that are highly conserved and complementary to form panhandle stuctures. There are some reports that these NCRs seems to control gene expression and viral replication in influenza virus and vesicular stomatitis virus. In this study, we examined whether NCRs in Hantaan virus play a role in expression of the viral nucleocapsid protein (Np) and foreign (luciferase) gene. The 5' and/or 3' NCR-deleted mutants were constructed and analysed. The Np expression of 5' NCR-deleted clone, it showed 40% reduction. To investigate the role of NCR in foreign gene expression, the clones which are replaced ORF of Hantaan viral Np gene with that of luciferase gene were constructed. The results were similar to those of the experiments using Np gene. These results suggest that 3' NCR is more important than 5' NCR in protein expression. To find out a critical region of 3' NCR in more important than 5' NCR in protein expression. To find out a critical region of 3' NCR in protein expression, several clones with a deleted part of 3' NCR were constructed and analyzed. The deletion of the conserved region in 3' NCR showed 20~30% decrease in Np expression. However there were no change in luciferase activities between clones with or without non-conserved region of 3' NCR. These results suggest that the 3' NCR of Hantaan virus S genome, especially conserved region in 3' NCR, plays and important role in the expression of Hantaan viral Np and foreign genes.
Animals ; Clone Cells ; Ecthyma, Contagious ; Gene Expression ; Genome* ; Hantaan virus ; Hantavirus ; Luciferases ; Nucleocapsid Proteins* ; Nucleocapsid* ; Orthomyxoviridae ; RNA ; Vesicular Stomatitis

The aim of this study was to investigate viral etiology in dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) or nested reverse tanscription PCR (RT-PCR), and characterize the enteroviral RNA presented in the clinical specimens. Twenty-eight paraffin-embedded heart tissue samples were assayed to detect cytomegalovirus, herpes simplex virus type 1, type 2, parvovirus, adenovirus, and enterovirus (EV) with each specific primer. Of these 28 patients (mean age: 27, M: 24, F: 4), 26 were histologically diagnosed as DCM and 2 as myocardial infarction (MI). Nested RT-PCR detected enteroviral RNA in 7 (26.9%) of 26 patients with DCM, and none of patients with MI. And none of DNA viruses tested were detected from the samples. Amplified products were also genotyped by single-variation of EV is present in the explanted heart tissues from patients with DCM. Although most of the sequences among the wild isolates have the greatest similarity to those of coxsackievirus B3, there are specific regions of variable sequences (no 490 - no 510). The data suggest that enterovirus may be a major viral pathogen for the DCM in Korea and nucleotide sequence data indicate that coxsackievirus B3 may be a leading etiologic agent of DCM.
Adenoviridae ; Base Sequence ; Cardiomyopathy, Dilated* ; Cytomegalovirus ; DNA Viruses ; Enterovirus ; Heart* ; Herpesvirus 1, Human ; Humans ; Korea ; Myocardial Infarction ; Parvovirus ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; RNA*

Two distinct hantaviruses have been isolated from Apodemus agrarius in 1976 and Rattus norvegicus in 1980 in Korea. Since our serosurveys conducted in 1994, a genetically distinct hantavirus from Apodemus peninsulae has been investigated. To isolate hantavirus from A. peninsulae captured in Korea, the lung homogenate of seropositive A. peninsulae inoculted Vero E6 cells. Viral antigen was detected in a progressively higher percentage of cells with subsequent passage after 80 days postinoculation. The new isolate from seropositive Apodemus peninsulae was designated Suchong virus after Suchong valley located in northeastern region of South Korea. Comparing with hantaan virus 76-118 strain, Suchong virus-1, 2, 3 and 4 showed the similarity of 71.0~91.8% at nucleotide and 90.9~94.8% at amino acid sequences in 231 nucleotides region of M segment, and the similarity of 75.1~81.0% at nucleotide and 97.5~100% at amino acid sequences in 237 nucleotides of S segment.
Amino Acid Sequence ; Animals ; Hantaan virus ; Hantavirus* ; Korea ; Lung ; Murinae* ; Nucleotides ; Population Characteristics* ; Rats

Since HantavaxTM, formalin inactivated Hantaan virus vaccine (10,240 ELISA units/ml), has been developed in 1990 to prevent against haemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS) caused by Hantaan or Seoul virus, it has been commercially available in Korea. Twenty-one healthy people were booster shot once and twice after primary basic vaccination with HantavaxTM. Seroconversion rates were measured by immunofluorescent antibody technique (IFAT), enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), high density composite particle agglutination (HDPA), and plaque reduction neutralization test (PRNT). Seroconversion rates of 21 vaccinees at one year after primary basic vaccination were 52.3%, 95.2%, 0.0%, 47.6%, and 28.6%, and 13 vaccinees of one month after 1st booster vaccination were 100%, 100%, 30.7%, 100% and 100% by IFAT, ELISA (IgG, IgM), HDPA and PRNT, respectively. Seroconversion rates declined slightly by twenty months, and they were 84.6%, 92.3%, 0.0%, 84.6% and 69.2% by IFAT, ELISA (IgG, IgM), HDPA and PRNT, respectively. Seroconversion rates of 9 vaccinees at three months after 2nd booster vaccination were 100%, 100%, 0.0%, 100%, and 88.9%, and 16 vaccinees at one year after the 2nd booster vaccination were 87.5%, 93.8%, 0.0%, 87.5% and 81.3% by IFAT, ELISA (IgG, IgM), HDPA and PRNT, respectively. Based on the above result HantavaxTM has proved a vigorous anamnestic response after the 1st and the 2nd booster vaccination and has persisted higher fluorescence, agglutination and neutralizing antibody titers in vaccinees.
Agglutination ; Antibodies, Neutralizing ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Fever* ; Fluorescence ; Formaldehyde ; Hantaan virus ; Korea ; Neutralization Tests ; Seoul virus ; Vaccination

The nonstructural protein NSP4, encoded by gene 10 of rotavirus, has been shown to play a role in viral assembly and known to be an enterotoxin, causing diarrhea in mouse pups. NSP4 gene was cloned from CBNU-2 (virulent bovine rotavirus/diarrheic fecal sample) and CBNU-1 (cell-culture adapted bovine rotavirus/isolated from CBNU-2 and 75 times passaged on MA104 cells), respectively, by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and sequenced and compared. The sequence data indicated that the NSP4 genes of bovine rotavirus (BRV) were 751 bases in length and encoded one open reading frame of 175 amino acids beginning at base 42 and terminating at base 570. Differences in nucleotide sequence between CBNU-2 and CBNU-1 were observed at 6 positions (base 274, 296, 391, 394, 396 and 579). NSP4 gene of BRV exhibited a high degree of nucleotide (90% and 94%) and amino acid sequence (91% and 94%) and amino acid sequence (91% and 97%) homology with those of SA11 and UK but a low degree of nucleotide (77% and 79%) and amino acids sequence (81% and 85%) homology with those of Wa and OSU.
Amino Acid Sequence ; Amino Acids ; Animals ; Base Sequence ; Clone Cells* ; Cloning, Organism* ; Diarrhea ; Enterotoxins ; Korea* ; Mice ; Open Reading Frames ; Rotavirus* ; Virus Assembly

No abstract available.
Fever*

No abstract available.
Antibodies* ; Hemorrhagic Fever with Renal Syndrome* ; Humans* ; Immunization*

No abstract available.
Adenoviridae* ; DNA* ; HeLa Cells* ; Humans

No abstract available.
Antiviral Agents* ; Herpes Simplex* ; Herpesvirus 1, Human* ; Simplexvirus*