Abstract
Although JC polyomavirus (JCPyV) genotyping is a promising method in clarifying the peopling of the Pacific, the distribution of JCPyV lineages has been elucidated only in a few Pacific populations. To clarify JCPyV lineages of the Kiribati Islanders, we collected urine samples from 48 Kiribati fishermen (mainly from the Gilbert Islands), who called in at a Japanese port for unloading. From the urine samples, we amplified the 610-bp IG region (VT-intergenic region) of the viral genome using the polymerase chain reaction. We obtained and sequenced IG fragments from 35 samples. From the resultant sequences, together with reference IG sequences, a neighbor-joining phylogenetic tree was constructed to classify the JCPyV isolates into lineages. We detected 2E (one of the major Pacific lineages) in 27 samples (77%), SC (the major Southeast Asian lineage) in seven samples (20%), and EU-a (one of the major European lineages) in one sample (3%) (the rare EU-a isolate was probably recently introduced to Kiribati by Europeans). A phylogenetic analysis based on complete viral DNA sequences revealed that the SC isolates in Kiribati belonged to a new sublineage (named SC-g) within the SC lineage. The present findings agree with the view that the 2E lineage of JCPyV accompanied the Austronesian dispersals in the Pacific. In addition, our findings suggest that ancient Southeast Asians, carrying SC-g, also migrated to the central Pacific islands.
