Limited diversity of measles field isolates after a National Immunization Day in Burkina Faso: Progress from endemic to epidemic transmission?

Mick N. Mulders, Yacouba K. Nebie, Fred Fack, Tetyana Kapitanyuk, Oumar Sanou, Dianne C. Valéa, Jean Jacques Muyembe-Tamfum, Wim Ammerlaan, Claude P. Muller*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleResearchpeer-review

26 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Despite recent National Immunization Days in Burkina Faso, the rural province of Houët reported >400 measles cases in 2001 (82% not vaccinated). Phylogenetic analysis of 58 measles virus field isolates plus the first sequences from the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Republic of Congo are reported. All viruses were genotype B3, which is common in the region. In Houët, there were two geographically confined genetic variants, suggesting two independent importation events. Strain diversity in Houët (1.5%) and the Congos was limited in comparison with Ibadan, Nigeria (4.6%), where measles is endemic. Strain variability, assessed by heteroduplex mobility assay, confirmed these findings. Despite large local pools of susceptible persons even after several rounds of vaccination, the limited strain diversity suggests that parts of rural Burkina Faso may be moving from an endemic to an epidemic transmission pattern of measles virus.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)S277-S282
JournalJournal of Infectious Diseases
Volume187
Issue numberSUPPL. 1
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 15 May 2003

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