Skip directly to site content Skip directly to page options Skip directly to A-Z link Skip directly to A-Z link Skip directly to A-Z link
Volume 4, Number 3—September 1998
THEME ISSUE
ICEID 1998
Summaries from satellite partnership meetings (March 8-12)

Plague Diagnostic Workshop1

Author affiliation: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA

Cite This Article

The Plague Diagnostic Workshop, cosponsored by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO), was held on March 8 and 12, 1998. Participants represented major laboratories involved in plague diagnostic test implementation and development, the WHO Collaborating Centers for Plague Research and Reference (Almaty, Kazakhstan; Stavropol, Russia; and Fort Collins, Colorado, USA), the WHO Collaborating Center for Yersiniosis (Paris, France), WHO headquarters, and the Pan American Health Organization. Other participants came from Brazil, China, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Madagascar, Myanmar, Peru, Russia, South Africa, Taiwan, Tanzania, United Kingdom, United States, Venezuela, and Vietnam. From the United States, state and local public health laboratory specialists from California and New Mexico, Naval Medical Research Unit #2, and private industry personnel also participated.

The goals of the workshop were to assess the laboratories' capabilities to perform plague diagnostic tests worldwide; discuss test methods; develop a program for molecular characterization of Yersinia pestis, with emphasis on monitoring drug resistance strains; and initiate worldwide electronic links between laboratories. During the first session, representatives reported on their countries' plague activities and presented results on improved and new tests for plague. During the second session, presenters discussed molecular methods used in typing Y. pestis and electronic methods for linking laboratories through the Internet. Participants also met during the International Conference on Emerging Infectious Diseases to discuss issues ranging from plague diagnostic criteria to adoption of new test methods.

Recommendations were made to broaden and refine the plague laboratory diagnostic criteria. Three working groups were created to evaluate and develop international standards of Y. pestis-specific F1 antigen, F1 antigen-sensitized sheep red blood cells, and specific bacteriophage stock. A fourth working group was charged with evaluating new diagnostic tests. Guidelines and recommendations were made for molecular typing of isolates using plasmid and protein profiling, pulsed-field gel electrophoresis, and ribotyping. The workshop participants also worked toward establishing an electronic bulletin board and soliciting support for another workshop in 2 years to certify the results of the working groups.

Top

Cite This Article

DOI: 10.3201/eid0403.980344

1Summary of Satellite Session

Table of Contents – Volume 4, Number 3—September 1998

EID Search Options
presentation_01 Advanced Article Search – Search articles by author and/or keyword.
presentation_01 Articles by Country Search – Search articles by the topic country.
presentation_01 Article Type Search – Search articles by article type and issue.

Top

Page created: December 14, 2010
Page updated: December 14, 2010
Page reviewed: December 14, 2010
The conclusions, findings, and opinions expressed by authors contributing to this journal do not necessarily reflect the official position of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the Public Health Service, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or the authors' affiliated institutions. Use of trade names is for identification only and does not imply endorsement by any of the groups named above.
file_external