Evolution of EV71 genogroup in Taiwan from 1998 to 2005: An emerging of subgenogroup C4 of EV71

In Taiwan, enterovirus 71 (EV71) has played an important role in severe enterovirus-related cases every year since the devastating outbreak in 1998. Three genogroups A, B, C occur worldwide; with the B and C genogroups being subdivided into B1-B4 and C1-C4 subgenogroups respectively. To understand the mutation of the EV71 genogroup in Taiwan before and after 1998, a total of 54 worldwide strains were studied including 41 Taiwanese strains obtained in 1986 and 1998-2004. A fragment of 207 bp of the VP4 region was amplified and sequenced. Genetic analysis was performed using MEGA software (version 3.0) for the nucleotide sequence alignment and phylogenetic analysis. In Taiwan, the subgenogroup 131 was predominant before 1998 while subgenogroup C2 was the major etiologic group in 1998 outbreak. A minor etiologic group outbreak in 1998, subgenogroup 134, became predominant during the period from 1999 to 2003. In this study, subgenogroup C4 emerged and became predominant in 2004 in Taiwan. The nucleotide differences between 131 and C2, C2 and 134, B4 and C4 were 20%-26%, 19%-27%, 18%-22%, respectively. Nucleotide sequence alignment revealed 67 substitutions. Most of the substitutions (62/67) were silent mutations. This is the first report aboutthe emergence of EV71 subgenogroup C4 in Taiwan.