Global Update on Measles Molecular Epidemiology

Molecular surveillance of circulating measles variants serves as a line of evidence for the absence of endemic circulation and provides a means to track chains of transmission. Molecular surveillance for measles (genotyping) is based on the sequence of 450 nucleotides at the end of the nucleoprotein coding region (N450) of the measles genome. Genotyping was established in 1998 and, with over 50,000 sequence submissions to the Measles Nucleotide Surveillance database, has proven to be an effective resource for countries attempting to trace pathways of transmission. This review summarizes the tools used for the molecular surveillance of measles and describes the challenge posed by the decreased number of circulating measles genotypes. The Global Measles and Rubella Laboratory Network addressed this challenge through the development of new tools such as named strains and distinct sequence identifiers that analyze the diversity within the currently circulating genotypes. The advantages and limitations of these approaches are discussed, together with the need to generate additional sequence data including whole genome sequences to ensure the continued utility of strain surveillance for measles.