Restriction endonuclease cleavage analysis of herpes simplex virus type 2 from Chiang Mai, Thailand and Okinawa, Japan.

Genomic variations of herpes simplex viruses type 2 (HSV 2) isolated from Chiang Mai, Thailand and Okinawa, southernmost part of Japan were studied. The genomic polymorphism of 40 HSV 2 Chiang Mai strains and 10 HSV 2 Okinawan strains was analyzed by means of the variations of cleavage sites and electrophoretic mobilities of DNA fragments after digestion with 4 restriction endonucleases (RE (BamH I, Kpn I, EcoR I, and Bgl II)). Using the main 6 variable RE cleavage sites, HSV 2 strains were classified into 10 major groups. The strains categorized into group 1 and 9 were predominant in Chiang Mai. Groups 1, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7 were found only in Chiang Mai, but contained only a few strains each. Groups 2 and 10 were found only in Okinawa, whereas groups 8 and 9 were found in both Chiang Mai and Okinawa.