Single amino acid change in DNA polymerase is associated with foscarnet resistance in a varicella-zoster virus strain recovered from a patient with AIDS.

Abstract

The genetic characterization of a foscarnet-resistant strain of varicella-zoster virus (VZV) that was isolated from a patient with AIDS is reported. Compared with the sequence of the Dumas reference strain, this strain, which was isolated from a patient in whom foscarnet treatment failed, had two point mutations. The emergence of one of the mutations, which includes a change from a glutamic acid to a lysine at position 512 in the DNA polymerase, suggests that this mutation is implicated in the VZV foscarnet resistance. The other mutation, which replaces serine 863 by a glycine, is also present in 2 susceptible strains--Oka and a wild-type isolate.

• Authors: B Visse, B Dumont, J M Huraux, A M Fillet
• Journal: The Journal of infectious diseases (J Infect Dis) Vol. 178 Suppl 1 Pg. S55-7 (Nov 1998) ISSN: 0022-1899 [Print] United States
• PMID: 9852975 (Publication Type: Case Reports, Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't)

Chemical References

• Antiviral Agents
• DNA Primers
• Foscarnet
• DNA-Directed DNA Polymerase

Topics

• AIDS-Related Opportunistic Infections (virology)
• Adult
• Amino Acid Sequence
• Amino Acid Substitution
• Antiviral Agents (pharmacology)
• Base Sequence
• DNA Primers (genetics)
• DNA-Directed DNA Polymerase (genetics)
• Drug Resistance, Microbial (genetics)
• Foscarnet (pharmacology)
• Herpes Zoster (complications, virology)
• Herpesvirus 3, Human (drug effects, enzymology, genetics)
• Humans
• Molecular Sequence Data
• Point Mutation
• Polymerase Chain Reaction
• Sequence Homology, Amino Acid