Aim: To explore the genetic diversities of UL144 open reading frame (ORF) of cytomegalovirus DNA detected in colon tissue from infants with Hirschsprung's disease (HD) by sequencing UL144 DNA in 23 aganglionic colon tissue and 4 urine samples from 25 HD infants.
Methods: Nest PCR was performed for amplification of the UL144 gene. The UL144 gene was analyzed with softwares, such as DNAclub, BioEdit, PROSITE database, and DNAstar.
Results: The strains from HD patients were distributed among three genotypes of UL144: group 1A (64%), group 2 (24%), and group 3 (12%). The UL144 genotypes between strains from HD and control group were compared by chi square test (c2 = 1.870, P = 0.393). Strains from the colon were sporadically distributed in UL144 genotypes.
Conclusion: There are genetic diversities of UL144 ORF in colon tissue of infants with HD. However, cytomegalovirus UL144 genotypes are not associated with clinical manifestations of HD.