How do you test for measles, Bell's palsy, and rubella (German measles)?

From the Guidelines

Testing for measles, rubella, and Bella (which is not a standard medical term, but assuming it refers to rubella) typically involves blood tests that detect antibodies against these viruses, with the most common test being an IgM and IgG antibody test, as recommended by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) 1. The diagnosis of acute rubella should be confirmed by laboratory testing, with the demonstration of rubella-specific IgM antibody being the most commonly used method to obtain serologic confirmation of acute rubella infection 1. Some key points to consider when testing for these viruses include:

• The IgM antibody usually becomes detectable shortly after rash onset and peaks approximately 7 days after rash onset, remaining detectable for 4-12 weeks 1.
• The acute-phase serum specimen should be drawn as soon after rash onset as possible, preferably within the first 7 days, and the convalescent-phase serum specimen should be drawn at least 10 days after the acute-phase serum specimen 1.
• Various assays are available for detecting rubella antibodies, including HI, EIA, latex agglutination, immunofluorescence assay (IFA), passive hemagglutination, hemolysis-in-gel, and virus neutralization tests 1. It is essential to note that the most recent and highest-quality study should be prioritized when making a definitive recommendation, and in this case, the 1998 study by the ACIP provides the most relevant guidance 1. In terms of testing for measles, a similar approach is used, with IgM and IgG antibody tests being employed to detect measles-specific antibodies. Throat swabs, urine samples, or cerebrospinal fluid may also be collected for viral detection through PCR testing, especially during early infection stages. Testing is crucial for diagnosis, particularly in patients with symptoms like rash, fever, and respiratory issues, and in outbreak situations, rapid diagnosis helps prevent further transmission through appropriate isolation measures. These tests are particularly important for pregnant women, immunocompromised individuals, and in public health surveillance to monitor disease spread and vaccination effectiveness.

From the Research

Testing for Measles, Mumps, and Rubella

• Measles, mumps, and rubella are infections caused by RNA viruses and are vaccine preventable 2
• Laboratory diagnostic methods can include indirect detection via antibody (IgM and IgG) detection methods and direct detection by viral culture or viral genome detection 2
• Direct detection of viral genomic material using reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) methodologies can play an important role for laboratory confirmation of acute infections 2

Diagnostic Methods

• IgM detection is a common method for diagnosing measles and rubella 3
• The sensitivity and specificity of individual measles studies ranged from 0.50 to 1.00 and 0.53 to 1.00, respectively 3
• Pooled sensitivity and specificity of all measles IgM detection methods were 0.94 (CI: 0.90-0.97) and 0.94 (CI: 0.91-0.97), respectively 3
• The measles and rubella multiplex bead assay (MBA) offers multiple advantages over standard serological assays 4

Multiplex Assays

• The BioPlex 2200 MMRV IgG multiplex flow immunoassay (MFI) can detect IgG-class antibodies to measles, mumps, rubella, and varicella-zoster viruses 5
• The MMRV IgG AtheNA Multi-Lyte assay is a multiplex bead immunoassay that can detect IgG-class antibodies to measles, mumps, rubella, and varicella-zoster virus 6
• Multiplex assays can decrease cost, sample volume requirements, aliquot errors, and hands-on testing time 6

Bella

• There is no information available on "Bella" in the context of measles and rubella testing, it is possible that it is a typo or a term not related to the topic 2, 3, 4, 5, 6