MOLECULAR EPIDEMIOLOGY OF ADENOVIRUS TYPE 8 (Ad 8) IN TAIWAN: FOUR SUBTYPES RECOVERED DURING THE PERIOD OF 1980-1981 FROM PATIENTS WITH EPIDEMIC KERATOCONJUNCTIVITIS

Abstract
By enzymatic cleavage analysis with 5 endonucleases, PstI, HindHIII, BamHI, SalI and SstI, 27 of 149 adenovirus type 8 (Ad 8) isolates recovered from patients with epidemic keratoconjunctivitis (EKC) during July 1980 to July 1981 in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, were studied. By cleavage patterns, 27 Ad 8 isolates in Kaohsiung were classified into 4 subtypes which were different from the subtypes (Ad 8A, Ad 8B) prevalent in Sapporo, Japan.