Molecular typing of echovirus serotype 4 isolates

We report on clinical samples Stuttgart/97, Berlin/99 and Jasi/99 associate d with aseptic meningitis. All three samples contained echovirus 4 (E4) but Stuttgart/97 was simultaneous infected with echovirus 30 (E30). The geneti c relationship of the E4 strains was assessed using RT-PCR and direct seque ncing of amplicons derived from the genomic region encoding the capsid prot ein VP1. The sequences have been compared with each other and with sequence s of further E4 strains obtained from GenBank. The analysis confirms that s equences of recent isolates have drifted away from elderly strains over a l onger period of time. Several amino acid changes in assumed antigenic sites of the VPI gene may be sufficient to cause changes in antigenic specificit y and therefore they may be a reason for failure of serological typing of s ome new antigenic E4 variants. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights re served.