Abstract
Since September 2012, over 90 cases of respiratory disease caused by a novel coronavirus, now named Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERSCoV), have been reported in the Middle East and Europe. To ascertain the capabilities and testing experience of national reference laboratories across the World Health Organization (WHO) European Region to detect this virus, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) and the WHO Regional Office for Europe conducted a joint survey in November 2012 and a follow-up survey in June 2013. In 2013, 29 of 52 responding WHO European Region countries and 24 of 31 countries of the European Union/European Economic Area (EU/EEA) had laboratory capabilities to detect and confirm MERS-CoV cases, compared with 22 of 46 and 18 of 30 countries, respectively, in 2012. By June 2013, more than 2,300 patients had been tested in 23 countries in the WHO European Region with nine laboratory-confirmed MERS-CoV cases. These data indicate that the Region has developed significant capability to detect this emerging virus in accordance with WHO and ECDC guidance. However, not all countries had developed capabilities, and the needs to do so should be addressed. This includes enhancing collaborations between countries to ensure diagnostic capabilities for surveillance of MERS-CoV infections across the European Region.
Highlights
In September 2012, a novel coronavirus was first characterised at the Erasmus Medical Center (EMC), Rotterdam, the Netherlands, by genome sequencing of a viral isolate from a patient in Saudi Arabia with severe pneumonia [1] and was later designated as Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERSCoV) [2]
The findings of this study show that 10 months after sequence information for the first reported MERS-CoV case was made available [1], 29 of 52 countries in the World Health Organization (WHO) European Region and 24 of 31 European Economic Area (EU/EEA) countries have developed laboratory capabilities to detect and confirm MERS-CoV cases
The European Virology Archive (EVA) for example, allowed laboratories to receive positive control material for the upE and ORF1a reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) assays to set up the necessary MERS-CoV diagnostic assays
Summary
In September 2012, a novel coronavirus was first characterised at the Erasmus Medical Center (EMC), Rotterdam, the Netherlands, by genome sequencing of a viral isolate from a patient in Saudi Arabia with severe pneumonia [1] and was later designated as Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERSCoV) [2]. To determine the current level of MERS-CoV diagnostic capabilities in the Region and assess the recent testing practices in relation to national and international surveillance guidance, ECDC and WHO Regional Office for Europe initiated a follow-up survey in June 2013. We found that 29 of 52 countries in the Region and 24 of 31 EU/EEA countries had the capability to screen and confirm human MERS-CoV cases, compared with 22 of 46 and 18 of 30 respectively, reported in the November 2012 assessment [16]. Recent travel to the Middle East in patients with pneumonia or acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) was reported as a reason for testing in 319 cases, and developing of respiratory symptoms following close contact with a confirmed or probable case of MERS-CoV infection in 114 cases. Other needs included training of laboratory personnel, provision of RT-PCR reagents and consumables, assistance with viral culture and serological assays
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