Vigilancia microbiológica del sarampión y la rubéola en España: red de laboratorios

Abstract

The Laboratory is a fundamental component on the surveillance of measles and rubella. Cases need to be properly confirmed to ensure an accurate estimation of the incidence. Strains should be genetically characterized to know the transmission pattern of these viruses and frequently, outbreaks and transmission chains can be totally discriminated only after that. Finally, the susceptibility of the population is estimated on the basis of sero-prevalence surveys. Detection of specific IgM response is the base of the laboratory diagnosis of these diseases. It should be completed with genomic detection by RT-PCR to reach an optimal efficiency, especially when sampling is performed early in the course of the disease. Genotyping is performed by genomic sequencing according to reference protocols of the WHO. Laboratory surveillance of measles and rubella in Spain is organized as a net of regional laboratories with different capabilities. The National Center of Microbiology as National Reference Laboratory (NRL), supports regional laboratories ensuring the availability of all required techniques in the whole country and watching for the quality of the results. The NRL is currently working in the implementation of new molecular techniques based on the analysis of genomic hypervariable regions for the strain characterization at sub-genotypic levels and use them in the surveillance.

Seroprevalence of antibodies against measles virus in Galicia: trends during the last ten years depending on age and sex

“…Nuestro estudio tiene las limitaciones, algunas ya citadas anteriormente, inherentes a este tipo de trabajos retrospectivos al no disponer de una muestra que se haya seleccionado para representar de forma fiable a la población en base a criterios como edad, sexo, factores demográficos y socioeconómicos. Estos tipos de estudios requieren un elevado coste, sin embargo nuestra aproximación resulta económica [10].…”

“…Para evaluar el estado inmunitario frente a las infecciones inmunoprevenibles existen dos aproximaciones, una mediante la revisión de registros de vacunación y otra mediante la realización de estudios de seroprevalencia [10][11][12][13][14].…”