International Journal of Medical Microbiology
Volume 305, Issue 7, 2015, Pages 601-606

Stool screening of Syrian refugees and asylum seekers in Germany, 2013/2014: Identification of Sabin like polioviruses (Article)

Böttcher S. , Neubauer K. , Baillot A. , Rieder G. , Adam M. , Diedrich S.*
  • a National Reference Laboratory for Poliomyelitis and Enteroviruses, Robert Koch Institute, PO Box 65 02 61, Berlin, 13302, Germany
  • b Office of the National Commission for Polioeradication in Germany, Robert Koch Institute, Berlin, Germany
  • c Governmental Institute of Public Health of Lower Saxony (NLGA), Hannover, Germany
  • d Bavarian Health and Food Safety Authority (LGL), Oberschleissheim, Germany
  • e Governmental Institute of Public Health of Baden-Wuerttemberg (LGA), Stuttgart, Germany
  • f National Reference Laboratory for Poliomyelitis and Enteroviruses, Robert Koch Institute, PO Box 65 02 61, Berlin, 13302, Germany

Abstract

Germany is a partner of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative. Assurance of polio free status is based on enterovirus surveillance, which focuses on patients with signs of acute flaccid paralysis or aseptic meningitis/encephalitis, representing the key symptoms of poliovirus infection. In response to the wild poliovirus outbreak in Syria 2013 and high number of refugees coming from Syria to Germany, stool samples from 629 Syrian refugees/asylum seekers aged <3 years were screened for wild poliovirus between November 2013 and April 2014. Ninety-three samples (14.8%) were positive in an enterovirus specific PCR. Of these, 12 contained Sabin-like polioviruses. The remaining 81 samples were characterized as non-polio enteroviruses representing several members of groups A-C as well as rhinovirus. Wild-type poliovirus was not detected via stool screening involving molecular and virological methods, indicating a very low risk for the importation by Syrian refugees and asylum seekers at that time. © 2015 Elsevier GmbH.

Author Keywords

Polio Polio eradication Stool screening Enterovirus

Index Keywords

Germany refugee mass screening Poliovirus Syrian Arab Republic human Communicable Diseases Refugees Poliomyelitis virus feces analysis controlled study sabin like poliovirus Rhinovirus screening test virus identification wild type asylum seeker Young Adult Humans Adolescent virology Infant, Newborn male preschool child female Infant risk factor Child, Preschool newborn polymerase chain reaction isolation and purification Article major clinical study Syrian adult Feces Syria Enterovirus Child
Link
https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-84944280298&doi=10.1016%2fj.ijmm.2015.08.008&partnerID=40&md5=995f201ee0890341a466b735c447c3ee
DOI: 10.1016/j.ijmm.2015.08.008
ISSN: 14384221
Cited by: 18
Original Language: English