Identification of human parvovirus B19 among measles and rubella suspected patients from Cuba.

Between September 2014 and December 2015, 298 sera from rash and fever patients from all over Cuba were investigated for specific IgM antibodies against measles, rubella, dengue, human parvovirus B19 (B19V) and human herpesvirus 6 (HHV6) using a commercial enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kits. B19V IgM positive and equivocal samples were investigated by a polymerase chain reaction and genotyping. No measles, rubella or dengue cases were detected. HHV6-IgM antibodies were confirmed in 5.7% and B19V-IgM antibodies in 10.7% of the patients. A total of 31.3% of the B19V cases were between 5 and 9 years old and 34.4% were 20 years and older. The only B19V sequence obtained belonged to genotype 1a. Diagnosis was established for only 16% of the rash and fever patients, suggesting that other diseases such as Zika or Chikungunya may play a role.

Role of the virology diagnosis laboratory in the surveillance of rubella virus Cuba 1988/2000.

In Cuba, on the basis of Measles Elimination Program, the incidence of this disease decline, and was necessary to test rubella virus as a possible etiology agent that produce fever and rash illness. To reach this goal, Cuba developed rubella elimination strategies with integrated epidemiologic and laboratory surveillance. In the country, the vaccination program against rubella started in 1982 by vaccinating 12-14 years old females, with a special surveillance program with laboratory study of all suspected cases. Through 1988-2000, the Serology Diagnosis Laboratory in the Virology Branch of Pedro Kouri Institute had the responsibility to do the measles and rubella surveillance and play a key roll in the elimination strategies of these diseases. For confirmation of all suspected cases, 8566 serum samples with the suspected diagnosis of measles or rubella from different provinces in Cuba were studied in the laboratory using different techniques as haemagglutination inhibition test (HIA), ultra micro analytic assay (UMA); and in 1995 by the newly introduced IgM ELISA, which was used taken only one sample in the acute phase of the disease. These techniques allowed knowing that the annual number of reported rubella cases in the country decreased substantially after the implementation, in 1986, of the second vaccine policy, that of vaccinating women of childbearing age. However, in 1989, was detected an outbreak of rubella virus infection that had occurred in young adults male 15-19 age groups in Matanzas' province. The last three indigenous cases of this disease were confirmed by our laboratory in 1995, after national vaccine coverage over 95%.