%0 Journal Article %A Lanciotti, Robert S. %A Lewis, Joyce Grant %A Gubler, Duane J. %A Trent, Dennis W. %T Molecular evolution and epidemiology of dengue-3 viruses %D 1994 %J Journal of General Virology, %V 75 %N 1 %P 65-75 %@ 1465-2099 %R https://doi.org/10.1099/0022-1317-75-1-65 %I Microbiology Society, %X The nucleic acid sequences of the pre-membrane/ membrane and envelope protein genes of 23 geographically and temporally distinct dengue (DEN)-3 viruses were determined. This was accomplished by reverse transcriptase-PCR amplification of the structural genes followed by automated DNA sequence analysis. Comparison of nucleic acid sequences revealed that similarity among the viruses was greater than 90 %. The similarity among deduced amino acids was between 95 % and 100 %, and in many cases identical amino acid substitutions occurred among viruses from similar geographical regions. Alignment of nucleic acid sequences followed by parsimony analysis allowed the generation of phylo-genetic trees, demonstrating that geographically independent evolution of DEN-3 viruses had occurred. The DEN-3 viruses were separated into four genetically distinct subtypes. Subtype I consists of viruses from Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and the South Pacific islands; subtype II consists of viruses from Thailand; subtype III consists of viruses from Sri Lanka, India, Africa and Samoa; subtype IV consists of viruses from Puerto Rico and the 1965 Tahiti virus. Phylogenetic analysis has also contributed to our understanding of the molecular epidemiology and worldwide distribution of DEN-3 viruses. %U https://www.microbiologyresearch.org/content/journal/jgv/10.1099/0022-1317-75-1-65