Objective: To describe the source of vaccine-derived poliovirus (VDPV) and the effect on local polio-free status, the VP1 coding region was sequenced and analyzed for type I VDPV in Shanxi province in 2007.
Method: The virus isolation was performed to double stool specimens from one case acute flaccid paralysis (AFP) patient. VP1 coding region of the isolated stain was sequenced and analyzed. The phylogenetic tree was constructed based on VP1 region sequence between Shanxi strains and other type I VDPVs.
Result: 2 type I + II +III strains were isolated from double stool specimens from the AFP patient in Shanxi Province in 2007. VP1 sequencing of the two stains revealed > 1.0% divergence from the VP1 region of P I /Sabin vaccine strain. According to WHO criteria, the two stains were identified as type I vaccine-derived poliovirus (VDPV). Phylogenetic analysis based on VP1 coding sequence showed that the evolution distance of Shanxi type I VDPV was far away from other VDPVs detected in China. Moreover, no evidence supported the AFP patient as immunodeficiency patient. So Shanxi type I VDPVs were classified into ambiguous VDPV(aVDPV).
Conclusion: Considering the genetic character for Shanxi type I VDPV and the local OPV coverage, we highly suspected that an immunodeficiency patient in local area who long-term excreted VDPVs existed and resulted in the patient infection of VDPV in Shanxi in 2007. In the post era of polio eradication, the detection and management for the possible existing patient of long-term excretion VDPV should be strengthened.