Hemagglutinin-neuraminidase sequence and phylogenetic analyses of mumps virus isolates from a vaccinated population in Singapore

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http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/cgi-bin/abstract/104524366/START

Online ISSN: 1096-9071 Print ISSN: 0146-6615
Journal of Medical Virology
Volume 70, Issue 2, 2003. Pages: 287-292

Published Online: 9 Apr 2003

Hemagglutinin-neuraminidase sequence and phylogenetic analyses of mumps virus isolates from a vaccinated population in Singapore

C.S. Lim¹, K.P. Chan², K.T. Goh³, Vincent T.K. Chow^{1 *}

¹Department of Microbiology, Programme in Infectious Diseases, Faculty of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Kent Ridge, Singapore
²Department of Pathology, Singapore General Hospital, Singapore
³Quarantine and Epidemiology Department, National Environment Agency, Singapore

email: Vincent T.K. Chow (micctk@nus.edu.sg)

^*Correspondence to Vincent T.K. Chow, Department of Microbiology, Programme in Infectious Diseases, Faculty of Medicine, National University of Singapore, 5 Science Drive 2, Kent Ridge 117597, Singapore.

Funded by:
Biomedical Research Council, Singapore

Keywords

mumps virus • HN gene • phylogeny • Rubini vaccine failure • Singapore

Abstract

During 1999-2000, a sustained mumps outbreak in the highly vaccinated population in Singapore was attributed to vaccine failure associated with the Rubini vaccine strain. To explain this phenomenon, the complete nucleotide and amino acid sequences of the hemagglutinin-neuraminidase (HN) gene of eight mumps virus isolates from patients with parotitis in Singapore were determined and compared with those of known vaccine strains. Phylogenetic trees constructed on the basis of HN nucleotide and amino acid sequences showed that the Singapore mumps virus isolates were more closely related to the Urabe strain and belonged to a different cluster from the Rubini and Jeryl-Lynn strains. The Rubini vaccine showed only

93% nucleotide and

96% amino acid sequence similarity to Urabe and Singapore isolates. Compared with the vaccine strains, six of the eight isolates lacked the extracellular glycosylation site at residues 400-402. Other significant amino acid disparities (e.g., at residue 354) may also affect the antigenic properties of the HN protein. These findings suggest that the evolution and adaptation of the currently circulating mumps virus strains in the community has led to the emergence of genetically distinct viral strains. The low vaccine efficacy of the Rubini strain represents a major reason for the recent mumps resurgence and failure of mumps immunization in Singapore. J. Med. Virol. 70: 287-292, 2003. © 2003 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Accepted: 7 January 2003

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