ABSTRACT
An ethnic study of 175 individuals, comprising 65 black and 110 white South Africans, has shown a conclusive difference in the frequency of the M1(ala213) haplotype of alpha 1-antitrypsin (P < 0.00001). The M1(ala213) haplotype occurred more frequently in the black group. In the latter group, the frequency of the M1(ala213) haplotype was the same in both controls (0.55) and asthmatics (0.53). However, there was a significant difference in the frequencies (0.19 and 0.36) for the respective white groups (P < 0.01), the frequency of the M1(ala213) haplotype being much higher in the asthmatics. Apart from the above differences, there was also a difference in the elastase-inhibitory capacities of the homozygote phenotypes M1(val213) vs M1(ala213) (P < 0.0001), this capacity being lower in the latter phenotype. We conclude that the occurrence of the M1(ala213) allele of alpha 1-antitrypsin differs in various ethnic groups and may play a role in asthma.
Subject(s)
Asthma/genetics , Black People/genetics , Gene Frequency , White People/genetics , alpha 1-Antitrypsin/genetics , Adult , Alanine , Asthma/blood , Base Sequence , Chi-Square Distribution , DNA Primers , Female , Genotype , Haplotypes , Humans , Male , Molecular Sequence Data , Pancreatic Elastase/antagonists & inhibitors , Phenotype , Polymorphism, Restriction Fragment Length , Sequence Analysis, DNA , South Africa , Valine , alpha 1-Antitrypsin/chemistryABSTRACT
An outbreak of paralytic poliomyelitis occurred in the Republic of South Africa in 1987/88. The epidemic took place in the Natal/KwaZulu region of South Africa and was due to type 1 poliovirus. Twenty-four isolates were characterised by 1- and 2-dimensional oligonucleotide mapping and a single strain of wild-type poliovirus was identified. The same strain of virus was also isolated in other areas of South Africa at the time of the outbreak and has persisted into 1989.
Subject(s)
Disease Outbreaks , Poliomyelitis/epidemiology , Electrophoresis, Gel, Two-Dimensional , Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel , Humans , Oligonucleotide Probes , Phenotype , Poliomyelitis/genetics , Poliovirus/genetics , Poliovirus/isolation & purification , RNA, Viral/analysis , South Africa/epidemiologyABSTRACT
An outbreak of coxsackievirus B3 infection occurred in South Africa in 1984 with a variety of clinical manifestations being observed. Fifty-one isolates from patients ranging in age from young babies to middle-aged adults were obtained. To define further the epidemiology of this outbreak all isolates were characterised by either 1- or 2-dimensional oligonucleotide mapping. One-dimensional mapping was found to be highly successful for initial screening of the isolates before further characterisation by 2-dimensional fingerprinting. All isolates were found to be essentially the same strain of coxsackievirus B3 although slight variations in both the 1- and 2-dimensional patterns could be observed. Some coxsackievirus B3 strains from geographically unrelated regions but isolated during the same time period as the outbreak showed clearly distinguishable oligonucleotide maps.
Subject(s)
Coxsackievirus Infections/diagnosis , Disease Outbreaks , Enterovirus B, Human/genetics , Nucleotide Mapping , Adolescent , Adult , Animals , Child , Child, Preschool , Coxsackievirus Infections/epidemiology , Humans , Infant , Nucleotide Mapping/methods , Oligonucleotides/chemistry , South Africa/epidemiologyABSTRACT
An outbreak of paralytic poliomyelitis, due to polio type 1 virus, occurred in the Gazankulu region of the Transvaal in the Republic of South Africa in 1982. Thirty-four different isolates from this epidemic were characterized by oligonucleotide mapping. None of the isolates were shown to be vaccine related. Results suggest the existence of a number of apparently different wild-type viruses present in the area. The introduction of a single wild-type strain could not be clearly demonstrated. These findings have important implications for the management and control of future outbreaks.
Subject(s)
Nucleotide Mapping , Poliomyelitis/epidemiology , Poliovirus/isolation & purification , Disease Outbreaks , Electrophoresis, Gel, Two-Dimensional , Humans , Poliomyelitis/microbiology , Poliovirus/genetics , RNA, Viral , South Africa , Species SpecificityABSTRACT
A clinical case of paralytic poliomyelitis with almost simultaneous isolation of two different types of poliovirus was investigated. A strain of poliovirus type I was isolated from the cerebrospinal fluid and a type 3 strain of poliovirus was isolated from the patient's faeces. Both strains were characterised by two-dimensional oligonucleotide mapping. The type I virus was shown to be of wild type while the type 3 virus was shown to be vaccine-associated.
