Molecular epidemiology of adenoviral conjunctivitis in Sapporo, Japan, and Manila, the Philippines.

DNA restriction endonuclease analysis was carried out on 48 adenovirus isolates from the conjunctival swabs of patients with acute conjunctivitis. Samples were obtained in Sapporo, Japan, and Manila, the Philippines, from October 1983 to October 1984. We identified new genomic variants among the isolates of Ad3 in Sapporo, and Ad4 and Ad11 in Manila, and these were designated as Ad3f, Ad4b, Ad11a and Ad11b, respectively. Ad7 isolates in Manila were identical to Ad7b reported by Wadell et al. In Sapporo, no Ad7 was isolated during the period of this study. One isolate in Sapporo, which was neutralized by both Ad34 and Ad35 antisera, showed identical restriction patterns to Ad35 prototype strain (Holden) with SmaI, BamHI and HpaI. However, with HindIII, the pattern was identical to that of Ad34 prototype strain (Compton). This isolate was tentatively designated as Ad34/35. Ad8 isolates in Sapporo were identical to Ad8B detected there from 1977 to 1981, while Ad8 isolates in Manila were prototype (Trim) strains. In both cities Ad19 isolates were all identical to Ad19a and Ad37 isolates were all prototype (GW). Genomic variants of Ad isolates in both cities are as follows: (Table: see text).