A SIMPLE METHOD FOR GENETIC DIFFERENTIATION OF THE AIK-C VACCINE STRAIN FROM WILD STRAINS OF MEASLES-VIRUS

Restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) analysis was used to differentiate the AIK-C vaccine strain from the wild circulating measles viruses. Virus genomes were amplified by using reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) in the part of the H-gene. The PCR product of the AIK-C strain was cut into 2 fragments after digestions with HpaII, BstPI and AvaII, respectively. Otherwise, those of 17 wild-type strains isolated during 1950s-1991 were cleaved into 3 fragments only when digested with AvaII. Comparison with wild strain sequences suggest that the above HpaII site and BstPI site are characteristic of the AIK-C strain. This molecular approach is also applied for the discrimination whether some symptoms after vaccination were related to the vaccine strain or not. © 1994 Academic Press, Inc.