Analysis of genetic characteristics of varicella-zoster virus in Anhui province from 2022 to 2023
10.3760/cma.j.cn112866-20250805-00173
- VernacularTitle:2022—2023年安徽省水痘-带状疱疹病毒基因特征分析
- Author:
Shujie ZHOU
1
;
Xiaodong CHENG
1
;
Ning ZHANG
1
;
Feiyang SONG
1
;
Kun XUAN
1
;
Tao LI
1
;
Yu CHAI
1
;
Binbing WANG
1
;
Jihai TANG
1
Author Information
1. 安徽省疾病预防控制中心，合肥 230061
- Publication Type:Journal Article
- Keywords:
Varicella-zoster virus;
Viral isolation;
Genotype;
Wild-type virus;
Vaccine strain
- From:
Chinese Journal of Experimental and Clinical Virology
2025;39(5):582-587
- CountryChina
- Language:Chinese
-
Abstract:
Objective:To analyze the genetic characteristics of varicella-zoster virus（VZV）in Anhui province from 2022 to 2023.Methods:Vesicle fluid and throat swab samples were collected from suspected varicella patients in Anhui province during 2022—2023. Fresh vesicle fluid samples were selected for VZV isolation，and real-time PCR was used for VZV nucleic acid detection. For positive samples，the region containing five single nucleotide polymorphism（SNP）sites in the open reading frame 22（ORF22）fragment was amplified，and PCR products were sequenced to identify viral genotypes. Reference sequences of VZV genotypes were downloaded from GenBank，sequence alignment and phylogenetic tree analysis were performed using Sequencher and MEGA5.0 software. Additionally，four SNP sites in ORF38 and ORF62 fragments were detected to distinguish vaccine strains from wild strains.Results:Among 96 samples from suspected varicella cases，55 of 61 vesicle fluid samples and 21 of 35 throat swab samples were positive for VZV nucleic acid. The virus isolation rate for vesicle fluid samples was 14.75%. Genetic sequencing was successful for 51 strains，all of which were wild strains belonging to the clade 2 genetic branch. Compared with the reference strain of clade 2，the nucleotide and amino acid homologies of the ORF22 fragment were 99.46%~100% and 98.39%~100%，respectively. One strain（2023VZVCZ45）exhibited an A→G mutation at site 37916.Conclusion:The prevalent VZV strains detected in Anhui province during 2022—2023 were all wild strains of clade 2，with no vaccine-associated cases identified.
