Report of the Australian National Polio Reference Laboratory. 1 July to 31 December 1999

Since 1994, as part of the global eradication of poliomyelitis, the Australian National Polio Reference Laboratory (NPRL) at the Victorian Infectious Diseases Reference Laboratory (VIDRL) has been responsible for virological testing to confirm the absence of poliomyelitis in Australia. Samples from patients with acute flaccid paralysis are transported to VIDRL for viral culture. Polio and enteroviruses are referred for intratypic differentiation as wild or Sabin (vaccine) strains. A total of 23 faecal specimens from 17 patients were processed for enterovirus culture in the period 1 July to 31 December 1999. Since 1995, 1,078 enterovirus isolates from six states have been tested for the presence of wild poliovirus. To date, 562 strains were confirmed as Sabin vaccine-like, one non Sabin-like strain was identical with a laboratory control virus and the other strains were non-polio enteroviruses or other viruses. A World Health Organization (WHO) workshop in diagnostic polio polymerase chain reaction techniques was held at VIDRL in November 1999. The laboratory was reaccredited as a regional polio reference laboratory for the WHO Western Pacific region and a national laboratory for Australia, the Pacific Island countries and Brunei Darussalam. Planning is proceeding for the polio-free certification and containment of laboratory stocks of wild poliovirus infectious materials in Australia.