infectious diseases
New VPD Reference Center PCR Assay to Rapidly Identify Measles Vaccine Strain Now Available
By Kevin Bradley, senior specialist, Infectious Diseases
In public health investigations, rapid detection and characterization of pathogens facilitates timely implementation of appropriate response measures critical to curtailing the spread of disease. Seven to 11 days following receipt of the MMR vaccine, some recipients exhibit a mild form of measles not thought to be contagious. Distinguishing vaccine reactions from wild type virus saves time, resources and focuses public health efforts on true cases potentially associated with outbreaks.
The APHL / CDC Vaccine Preventable Disease( VPD) Reference Centers are implementing a new real-time reverse transcription PCR( RT-qPCR) assay( MeVA) that is highly specific for the non-circulating measles virus strains of genotype A, the viruses used in the production of the Measles Mumps Rubella( MMR) vaccine. 1 This assay will be used along with the more sensitive measles virus( MeV) RT-qPCR diagnostic assay to rule out vaccine-related cases from outbreak investigations.
Until now, identifying a vaccine-related virus was a two-step process, first detecting by MeV RT-qPCR and then genotyping by sequencing. Eliminating the second step for known genotype A specimens decreases turnaround time for identifying a vaccine-related virus up to one week, providing the opportunity for a more efficient public health response.
The test will be available to other public health laboratories in the first quarter of 2018. APHL will send a communication announcing test availability and instructions for ordering the test once it is deployed at all VPD Reference Centers. n
References
1. Roy F., et al. 2017. Rapid Identification of Measles Virus Vaccine Genotype by Real-Time PCR. Journal of Clinical Microbiology 55:735-743. https:// doi. org / 10.1128 / JCM. 01879-16.
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