ToRCH & Childhood Diseases

Rubeola (Measles)

Rubeola (also known as measles) is a highly contagious viral infection of the respiratory system, immune system, and skin. Rubeola is caused by

a paramyxovirus of the genus Morbillivirus . Complication with measles is common and can be fatal. It is a leading cause of vaccine-preventable childhood mortality. The classic signs and symptoms of measles include a high fever, coughing, conjunctivitis and a characteristic rash. Symptoms usually develop 7–14 days after exposure and 3 out of 10 people who get measles will develop one or more complications including pneumonia, encephalitis and death. There is no specific treatment for measles although in developed countries, children are immunized against measles at 12 months old as part of a three-part Measles, Mumps and Rubella vaccine. A recent increase in measles worldwide has been driven by unvaccinated people spreading the disease into countries where it was once declared eliminated. Measles is extremely infectious and among unimmunized people exposed to the virus, over 90% will contract the disease. DIAGNOSIS

RECENT INCREASE IN MEASLES – USA CASES BY YEAR

Measles-specific IgM serology is the standard test for rapid laboratory diagnosis of measles. IgM testing using ELISA indirect capture methods or measles IgM capture are almost exclusively used. These assays require a pretreatment step to remove IgG antibodies and rheumatoid factor to ensure optimal performance. However, in regions where endemic measles virus has been eliminated, additional diagnostic assays are used to confirm measles cases irrespective of vaccination status. IgG avidity testing has proved useful in cases that require additional methods, such as suspected false negatives or a false positives. REAGENTS FOR SEROLOGY TESTING

7604

Rubeola Native Antigen • Prepared from a glycine extract of infected (Edmonston strain) Vero cells • >10% viral protein, partially purified to reduce host cell components and contains predominantly nucleocapsid antigens • Buffer: 0.1M Glycine, pH 9.3–9.7 Rubeola Virus Nucleoprotein Recombinant Antigen • Produced in Sf9 insect cells, sequence derived from the Edmonston strain • Protein Concentration: 0.5 ± 0.1mg/mL by BCA • Buffer: 50mM Hepes, pH 7.5 ± 0.1

IgG Detection for EIA Assays

EV9298

IgM Detection for EIA Assays