title: External Quality Assessment for the Detection of Measles Virus by Reverse Transcription-PCR Using Armored RNA.
abstract: In recent years, nucleic acid tests for detection of measles virus RNA have been widely applied in laboratories belonging to the measles surveillance system of China. An external quality assessment program was established by the National Center for Clinical Laboratories to evaluate the performance of nucleic acid tests for measles virus. The external quality assessment panel, which consisted of 10 specimens, was prepared using armored RNAs, complex of noninfectious MS2 bacteriophage coat proteins encapsulated RNA of measles virus, as measles virus surrogate controls. Conserved sequences amplified from a circulating measles virus strain or from a vaccine strain were encapsulated into these armored RNAs. Forty-one participating laboratories from 15 provinces, municipalities, or autonomous regions that currently conduct molecular detection of measles virus enrolled in the external quality assessment program, including 40 measles surveillance system laboratories and one diagnostic reagent manufacturer. Forty laboratories used commercial reverse transcription-quantitative PCR kits, with only one laboratory applying a conventional PCR method developed in-house. The results indicated that most of the participants (38/41, 92.7%) were able to accurately detect the panel with 100% sensitivity and 100% specificity. Although a wide range of commercially available kits for nucleic acid extraction and reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction were used by the participants, only two false-negative results and one false-positive result were generated; these were generated by three separate laboratories. Both false-negative results were obtained with tests performed on specimens with the lowest concentration (1.2 × 104 genomic equivalents/mL). In addition, all 18 participants from Beijing achieved 100% sensitivity and 100% specificity. Overall, we conclude that the majority of the laboratories evaluated have reliable diagnostic capacities for the detection of measles virus.
authors.affiliation: National Center for Clinical Laboratories, Beijing Hospital, Beijing, People's Republic of China; Graduate School, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Dong
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: National Center for Clinical Laboratories, Beijing Hospital, Beijing, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Yu
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.affiliation: National Center for Clinical Laboratories, Beijing Hospital, Beijing, People's Republic of China; Graduate School, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Tingting
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Jia
authors.affiliation: National Center for Clinical Laboratories, Beijing Hospital, Beijing, People's Republic of China; Graduate School, Peking University Health Science Center, Beijing, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Lei
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: National Center for Clinical Laboratories, Beijing Hospital, Beijing, People's Republic of China; Graduate School, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Guojing
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: National Center for Clinical Laboratories, Beijing Hospital, Beijing, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Rui
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: National Center for Clinical Laboratories, Beijing Hospital, Beijing, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Kuo
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: National Center for Clinical Laboratories, Beijing Hospital, Beijing, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Guigao
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.affiliation: National Center for Clinical Laboratories, Beijing Hospital, Beijing, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Jiehong
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Xie
authors.affiliation: National Center for Clinical Laboratories, Beijing Hospital, Beijing, People's Republic of China; Graduate School, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Lunan
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: National Center for Clinical Laboratories, Beijing Hospital, Beijing, People's Republic of China; Graduate School, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Jinming
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Li
mesh_terms: D002681:China / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D008457:Measles / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000821:virology; D008459:Measles virus / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D010865:Pilot Projects; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000379:methods; D048348:Reverse Transcription; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity
chemical_list: D012367:RNA, Viral