Abstracts summarizing recent research overseen by the WHO Advisory Committee on Variola Virus Research - 2003
Comparative restriction analysis of genomic DNAs of the variola virus strains from the Russian collection
I.V. Babkin1, I.N. Babkina1, Y.Li2, I. Damon2, S.S. Marennikova1, L.S. Sandakhchiev1, S.N. Shchelkunov1
1State Research Center of Virology and Biotechnology Vector, Koltsovo, Novosibirsk region, 630559 Russia;
2 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, United States of America
Please direct all queries to the authors at the addresses given.
LPCR–RFLP analysis based on use of HpaII and BstFNI restriction endonucleases of complete genomes of 21 variola virus (VAR) strains from the Russian Collection was performed. The corresponding database was constructed and may be used as a reference system for identification of VAR strains. Comparative study of DNA of these VAR strains, having various geographical origins, was performed.
The most pronounced distinctions between the strains are localized to variable terminal regions of their genomes. Three clusters of VAR strains—African isolates, Asian isolates, and VAR alastrim strains—are evident on all the dendrograms. The alastrim strains display most pronounced distinctions from the rest VAR stains. The VAR strains isolated from human cases during imported smallpox outbreak in Moscow (1960) cluster with VAR Asian isolates. Polymorphism of VAR strains coming from the same limited smallpox outbreak was discovered for the first time.