Human adenovirus from subgenus D: restriction mapping of types 9 and 19 and characterization of a new genome type.

A strain of adenovirus (AV) was isolated from the stools of a child with acute gastroenteritis. This virus (strain 208) was specifically neutralized by antiserum to AV19, a species belonging to subgenus D and previously reported to cause keratoconjunctivitis. However, restriction analysis of strain 208 showed it to be distinct from AV19 and the other 40 human AV serotypes presently known. When calculated from 18 restriction patterns, the proportion of comigrating fragments common to AV19 and strain 208 was only 57%. This percentage was no higher than that obtained by comparison of strain 208 and AV9, a randomly chosen type from subgenus D. Strain 208 therefore appeared to represent a new genome type. The restriction maps of the three viruses for BamHI, ClaI, EcoRI, HindIII, MluI, NdeI and SfiI endonucleases are presented.