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DNA single strand conformation polymorphism identifies five defined strains of hepatitis B virus (HBV) during an outbreak of HBV infection in an oncology unit
Author(s) -
Hardie Diana R.,
Kannemeyer Jennifer,
Stannard Linda M.
Publication year - 1996
Publication title -
journal of medical virology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.782
H-Index - 121
eISSN - 1096-9071
pISSN - 0146-6615
DOI - 10.1002/(sici)1096-9071(199605)49:1<49::aid-jmv8>3.0.co;2-k
Subject(s) - single strand conformation polymorphism , virology , hepatitis b virus , biology , hypervariable region , virus , outbreak , genome , dna , genotype , polymerase chain reaction , microbiology and biotechnology , genetics , antibody , gene
An outbreak of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection in a children's oncology unit was identified in which 61 children were shown to have been infected, 59 of them asyptomatically. In order to establish whether intra‐unit cross infection had occurred, we used the single strand conformational polymorphism (SSCP) technique to analyse viral isolates from 57 of the infected children and 40 unrelated controls. HBV‐specific primers were designed to amplify a 189 bp fragment of DNA encompassing part of the hypervariable pre‐S1 region of the HBV genome. Denatured PCR products were compared after electrophoresis through polyacrylamide gels and staining with silver. By SSCP analysis, the unrelated infections each yielded a unique electrophoretic banding pattern, indicative of a variety of distinct virus strains. In contrast, most of the oncology patients had been infected with one of only five different strains. Three major groups comprising 19, 16, and 9 patients, respectively, and two minor groups of 5 and 3 patients were identified. Results indicate the occurrence of multiple episodes of cross infection, and demonstrate the sensitivity and value of SSCP as a technique to establish common sources of infection. © 1996 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.