Appearance of a novel measles G3 strain in multiple European countries within a two month period, 2010

K E Brown; M N Mulders; F Freymuth; S Santibanez; M M Mosquera; S Cordey; J Beirnes; S Shulga; R Myers; D Featherstone

doi:10.2807/ese.16.17.19852-en

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Appearance of a novel measles G3 strain in multiple European countries within a two month period, 2010
K E Brown¹ , M N Mulders² , F Freymuth³ , S Santibanez⁴ , M M Mosquera⁵ , S Cordey⁶ , J Beirnes⁷ , S Shulga⁸ , R Myers¹ , D Featherstone⁹
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Affiliations: ¹ Virus Reference Department, World Health Organization Global Specialised Laboratory for Measles and Rubella, Health Protection Agency - Colindale, London, United Kingdom ² World Health Organization Regional Office for Europe, Copenhagen, Denmark ³ Centre National de Référence de la Rougeole et des Paramyxoviridae Respiratoires (National Reference Centre for measles and respiratory Paramyxoviridae), Laboratoire de virologie humaine et moléculaire (Laboratory of human and molecular virology), Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Caen, France ⁴ National Reference Centre Measles, Mumps, Rubella, Regional Reference Laboratory WHO EURO, Robert Koch Institute, Berlin, Germany ⁵ Centro Nacional de Microbiología (National Microbiology Centre), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain ⁶ Swiss National Reference Centre for Emerging Viral Diseases, Division of Infectious Diseases, University of Geneva Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland ⁷ Viral Exanthemata National Microbiology Laboratory, Winnipeg, Canada ⁸ World Health Organization Regional Reference Laboratory, European Region, Moscow, Russian Federation ⁹ Expanded Programme on Immunization, Department of Immunization, Vaccines and Biologicals, World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland

Correspondence:
K Brown
kevin.brown hpa.org.uk
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Citation style for this article: Brown K E, Mulders M N, Freymuth F, Santibanez S, Mosquera M M, Cordey S, Beirnes J, Shulga S, Myers R, Featherstone D. Appearance of a novel measles G3 strain in multiple European countries within a two month period, 2010. Euro Surveill. 2011;16(17):pii=19852. https://doi.org/10.2807/ese.16.17.19852-en Received: 19 Apr 2011

Abstract

During late 2010, a previously unrecognised strain of measles genotype G3 virus was identified in five different European countries by the World Health Organization Measles and Rubella Laboratory Network. Apart from one, none had a travel history to south-east Asia, the usual source of G3 viruses, although epidemiological links could be established between some of the cases. This case series illustrates the value of genotyping and sequencing in tracking measles infections, and identifying otherwise unrecognised chains of transmission.