MOLECULAR EPIDEMIOLOGY OF ADENOVIRUS TYPE-3 AND TYPE-7 ISOLATED FROM CHILDREN WITH PNEUMONIA IN BEIJING

One hundred fifty strains of adenovirus serotypes 3 (Ad3) and 7 (Ad7) were analyzed. The viruses were isolated from patients, the majority o f whom had pneumonia, from central and suburban Beijing over a 33-year period (1958-1990). Genomic analysis of DNA extracted from 74 strains of Ad3 and 76 strains of Ad7, with four to five restriction endonucle ases (REs), revealed the presence of four and eight genome types, resp ectively: Ad3a2, Ad3a4, Ad3a5, Ad3a6 and Ad7p1, Ad7a1, Ad7a4, Ad7b, Ad 7b1, Ad7d, Ad7d1, and Ad7g. Ad7b? was the most recently identified gen ome type. The restriction patterns obtained from 19 representatives of Ad7 genome types after cleavage of the DNA with 12 REs are shown. Ad3 a2 first appeared in 1962, and predominated from 1983 to 1988. Ad3a4 w as the main causative agent of pneumonia in 1982, Ad3a2 and Ad3a4 are closely related and have 97% pairwise comigrating restriction fragment s (PCRF). Ad7d predominated over a period of 11 years (1980-1990). It has 98% PCRF with Ad7b. Ten pairs of strains isolated from different s pecimens of the same patients were all concordant. (C) 1996 Wiley-Liss , Inc.