POPULATIONS OF 2 EASTERN-COUNTRIES OF JAPAN AND KOREA AND WITH A RELATED HISTORY SHARE A PREDOMINANT GENOTYPE OF HERPES-SIMPLEX VIRUS TYPE-1

Herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1), a common human pathogen of non-ep idemic nature is linked closely to the individual by latent infection. HSV-1 genotypes usually differ with race. Based on a ''dual structure model'' for population history of the Japanese, modem Japanese popula tions are assumed to have derived from two major migration events. The Jomon people arrived in Japan > 10,000 years ago and the Yayoi people began migrating to Japan from the Korean peninsula similar to 2,300 y ears ago. The presence of two predominant genotypes of F1 and F35 was noted in HSV-1 strains isolated in Japan. As the F1 genotype also pred ominated in Korea, peoples of Japan and Korea share the F1 genotype. R egional differences in the frequency of F1 and F35 genotypes within Ja pan seem to relate to differences in the dispersion of descendants of the Yayoi and Jomon peoples. Our hypothesis is that the F35 genotype r elates to the Jomon people, earlier residents in Japan, while the Fl g enotype relates to the Yayoi people who migrated much later from the K orean peninsula.